The Republic of Korea's marines patrol as residents board a ship to leave Yeonpyeong Island, at a port on the island December 17, 2010. [China Daily/Agencies]

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) military on Friday urged the Republic of Korea (ROK) to immediately stop its plans for a shelling exercise around Yonphyong Island, the official news agency KCNA reported.

The head of the DPRK delegation to the DPRK-ROK general-level military talks sent a notice to the ROK side concerning the shelling exercise, reported the KCNA.

The notice warned that if the ROK persisted in its plan to hold the exercise, the DPRK would deliver a second and third "unpredicted self-defense counterattack" that would be bigger and more powerful than the previous one to defend its territorial waters.

The notice urged the ROK to make "deep deliberation" to the DPRK warning.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been heightened after the ROK and the DPRK exchanged artillery fire near Yonphyong Island on Nov 23 that killed four of the ROK.

The ROK has declared plans for a live shell artillery drill in the waters southwest of Yonphyong Island on a selected date from Dec 18-21 depending on weather conditions.

On Friday, the KCNA reported that the ROK's firing destination was the territorial waters of the DPRK and Seoul's plan to resume the firing drill was aimed at "saving its face lost last time."

That the United States supported the plan and intends to dispatch forces to take part in the drill made the provocation of the ROK to an "extremely dangerous degree," according to the report.