North Korea launches live-fire drills near disputed sea border with South

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea began live-fire drills on Wednesday near a disputed sea border, the scene of deadly clashes in recent years, the South's military said on Wednesday, vowing to respond to any "provocation". North Korea conducted similar drills last year, with more than 100 rounds landing south of border, prompting the South to fire hundreds of rounds back. The South's joint chiefs of staff said in a statement that North Korea told Seoul that it would carry out the drills for three days from Wednesday north of the Northern Limit Line, the west coast maritime border. "If North Korea makes any provocation in our waters, we will strongly respond to it," the statement said. North Korea's military threatened last week to launch "targeted strikes" against South Korea’s navy, accusing the South of violating territorial waters. North Korea, heavily sanctioned by the United Nations for its missile and nuclear tests, is technically still at war with the South after the 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Nick Macfie)