As it blamed the United States for provoking its artillery bombardment, North Korea warned on Thursday it was ready to strike again “without hesitation”, ahead of a South Korea- US joint naval drill scheduled on Sunday. 

"If the warmongering South Korean puppets fail to return to their senses and commit another reckless military provocation, our army will carry out second and third rounds of powerful physical retaliatory strikes without hesitation."

The warning came as the US and South Korean navies plan to hold a four-day naval exercise in the Yellow Sea from Sunday that will involve a strike group headed by aircraft carrier the USS George Washington.

On Tuesday, Pyongyang fired dozens of artillery shells onto a South Korean island, triggering an exchange of fire as southern armed forces went on their highest state of alert.
The explosions that shattered the calm of the remote islet killed two South Korean marines and two civilians, wounded 18 others, left 22 buildings in charred ruins and sent hundreds of terrified residents fleeing to the mainland.
South Korea\\\'s government convened in an underground war room and air force jets were reportedly scrambled to the Yellow Sea island.

Although the naval drill had been scheduled well before this week\\\'s tensions, the US military said, it would also demonstrate the US "commitment to regional stability through deterrence".
South Korea also said Thursday it would "sharply increase military forces, including ground troops, on the five islands in the Yellow Sea and allocate more of its budget toward dealing with North Korea\\\'s asymmetrical threats".