The attack killed two South Korean marines in one of the most serious border incidents since the 1950-1953 war, causing staff to wake US President Barack Obama before dawn as fears arose of a return to full-scale conflict.

The United States vowed in a powerfully worded statement that it would defend its ally South Korea but said no military action was yet planned and no additional US forces had been deployed to the region as a result.

"We're still monitoring the situation and talking with our allies," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters, adding that Washington was "mindful" of which actions might exacerbate tensions on the Korean peninsula.

"At this point it's premature to say that we're considering any action," he said.

After dozens of shells struck, setting homes ablaze, South Korean troops fired back with cannon and the government convened in an underground war room and scrambled air force jets, officials said.

Obama was briefed during his daily classified intelligence update but left on a planned trip.

He would speak by telephone with South Korea's President Lee Myung-Bak but there were no immediate plans for him to make an on-camera statement, White House officials told reporters.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-Young, while US envoy on North Korea Stephen Bosworth said he and officials from regional player China agreed on the need for restraint.

China, the reclusive communist North Korean regime's only major ally, is seen as the only state that has any influence on unpredictable Pyongyang, which said Seoul fired first in Tuesday's cross-border artillery duel.

Beijing reacted saying it was "imperative" that stalled six-nation talks aimed at ending North Korea's atomic ambitions be restarted as soon as possible. The talks involve both Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia.

North Korea abandoned the forum in April 2009, a month before its second nuclear test, and announced in September last year it had reached the final stage of enriching uranium.

"We hope the relevant parties do more to contribute to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula," added Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan ordered his government to prepare for any eventuality.

"I ordered (ministers) to make preparations so that we can react firmly, should any unexpected event occur," Kan told reporters after an emergency meeting of cabinet members and senior officials.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for "immediate restraint" and said any differences between the two Koreas "should be resolved by peaceful means and dialogue".

Ban is "deeply concerned by the escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula caused by today's artillery attack" by the North, a statement from his office said.

However no country had yet requested a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the attack, diplomats said.

Condemnation of Pyongyang's action also came from Australia, several European nations, Russia, Taiwan and the NATO alliance.

"Such unprovoked attacks will only lead to further tensions on the Korean peninsula," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said.

Spain described the incident as "extremely serious" but commended the "attitude of moderation" shown by the government of South Korea, a foreign ministry statement said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned of "colossal danger" from Korean tensions. "This could degenerate into military actions," he said.

burs-br/boc

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