South Korea was placed on high alert after an hour-long military exercises in the disputed Yeonpyeong island on Monday.
Beijing and Moscow had urged Seoul to withdraw or delay the drills in order to reduce the tension in the Korean peninsula. Four people were killed when North Korea shelled South Korea upon carrying out similar drills in November.
According Yonhap News Agency, two of Seoul's destroyers were deployed in forward positions in the Yellow Sea and South Korean air force was put on alert prior to the drills.
Yeonpyeong residents and nearby islands have been ordered to take the necessary precautions.
The exercises began immediately after a failed meeting of the United Nations Security Council whether to blame Pyongyang for the crisis. Beijing and Moscow called for neutrality.
After receiving much criticisms from home for their weak response to the recent North Korean attack, South Korea vowed it would respond stronger if attacked again by the north.
In return, North Korea assured that it is preparing for counter-attack should the drills proceed.
As a result of the mounting tension between the two Koreas, Seoul's stock market fell by almost one percent and the Korean won plunged against the US dollar.
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