 Another hotbed of war is emerging in the world. Weapons have been activated on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea fired more than 200 artillery shells near two South Korean islands. On January the 5th, Seoul's Defense Ministry said, warning the actions threatened peace and it would respond. Residents on the two islands were ordered to evacuate in one of the most serious military escalations between the two Koreas, since the North fired a barrage of shells at one of the islands in 2010. Last firing followed repeated warnings from Kim Jong-un's regime in Pyongyang that it was prepared for war against South Korea and its U.S. ally. The North Korean military conducted over 200 rounds of firing in the areas of Jangsangot in the northern part, of Beinyong Island and the northern areas of Yeonpyong Island, the Defense Ministry official said at a briefing. The ministry released a statement shortly after, stating, this is a provocative act that threatens the peace on the Korean Peninsula. We sternly warn that North Korea bears full responsibility for this escalating crisis and strongly urge them to immediately cease these actions, it added. Our military closely tracks and monitors the situation in close coordination with the United States and will take appropriate measures in response to North Korea's provocations. Local officials on Yeonpyong Island told AFP that civilians had been told to evacuate, describing the order as a preventative measure. Authorities of Beinyong Island also reported an evacuation order there. Pyongyang fired a barrage of 170 artillery shells onto Yeonpyong Island in November 2010, killing four people, including two civilians in the north, in the first North Korean attack on a civilian area since the 1950 to 53 Korean War.