Sound of gunfire within the DPRK territory were heard on South Korea's Yeongpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, Seoul's YTN television reported Friday.

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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) military seemed to fired some 20 artillery shells, which did not fall on the South Korean side of the tense western waters, YTN said. The DPRK forces seem to have been engaged in a drill, it said.

Nearly 95 percent of the residents have left the Yeongpyeong Island ahead of military drills between Seoul and Washington in the Yellow Sea scheduled for Sunday.

The United States is sending its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the Yellow Sea for the joint military exercises with the South Korean navy.

South Korean forces are keeping a close eye on the development in the region, according to YTN.

South Korea traded fires with the DPRK on Tuesday in which two South Korean marines and two civilians were killed on the Yeonpyeong Island. The two sides accused each other of firing first in the disputed area.