Seoul resumes drills with fresh support

South Korea has resumed major live-fire military drills amid growing tensions over North Korea's shelling of a South Korean island last month.

The military exercises are going ahead on Tuesday as the US, South Korea and Japan on Monday wrapped up a meeting in Washington on the crisis between the two Koreas with support for Seoul in its long-running conflict with Pyongyang. 

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her South Korean and Japanese counterparts jointly condemned North Korea's attack that left four people, including two civilians, dead on Yeonpyeong Island. 

The trio warned Pyongyang over its aggressive behavior, while Seoul said it will hit back in any future provocations. 

"We all agree that North Korea's provocative and belligerent behavior jeopardizes peace and stability" in the region, said Clinton after her meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara. 

The three diplomats also called on China to take on a larger role in constraining Pyongyang. 

"We would like China to have a more clear stance in giving warning to North Korea and to contain these provocative actions by North Korea," Kim said. 

Clinton went on to say that talks with North Korea could resume if it improves its ties with the South and ceases “all provocative and belligerent behavior." 

"We appreciate Beijing's initiative to propose an emergency six-party gathering. However, we first need an appropriate basis for the resumption of talks," AFP quoted Clinton as saying. 

South Korea's firing exercises were launched on Monday by warships or land artillery units in 29 locations, including one of five frontline islands near their disputed sea border, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. 

The drills are scheduled to take place off all three coasts of the Korean Peninsula until Friday. 

The North called the drills an effort to trigger a war and warned the South against holding more joint military exercises with Washington. 

Pyongyang accuses US President Barack Obama of plotting with regional allies to topple the country's government, insisting that its nuclear program is a deterrent against US forces in the region.