South Korea marks first anniversary of island shelling

Nov 23, 2011, 9:57 GMT

Seoul - South Korean President Lee Myung Bak said Wednesday he was still waiting for an official apology from Pyongyang for the shelling of a border island which killed four exactly a year ago.

'I expect North Korea will sometime state its official position for the sake of national reconciliation,' Lee was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency.

The president was speaking during a visit to the Northwest Islands Defence Command, responsible for guarding the sea to the west of the peninsula, including Yeonpyeong island near the disputed maritime border.

Two South Korean marines and two civilians were killed by North Korean artillery fire on the island on November 23, 2010.

Pyongyang has expressed 'regret' over the incident, but claims it was self-defence in response to the South's naval exercises.

There have been several naval skirmishes in the area, but it was the first attack on South Korean soil since the 1950-53 war with the North ended without a formal treaty, leaving the two nations technically at war.

Lee said he had cancelled a planned trip to Yeonpyeong to mark Wednesday's anniversary due to bad weather, Yonhap reported.