Seoul, Rabi'I 28, 1433, Feb 20, 2012, SPA - South Korea began live fire drills Monday in the Yellow Sea near its border with North Korea. Seoul called the exercises "routine." They were being conducted near islands off North and South Korea's west coast. Before the drills began, about 1,000 residents of the nearby border islands were evacuated, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said. North Korea warned Sunday that it would "mercilessly retaliate" if Monday's drills violate its territorial waters, according to a report of DPA. --SPA 11:57 LOCAL TIME 08:57 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/971970