Yeongpyeong Island, South Korea (CNN) -- It is easy to dismiss North Korea's threats against South Korea as bluster, unless you're on this island, within sight of North Korean waters. The residents of Yeongpyeong Island, like any other South Koreans, do their best to make ends meet, in their case mostly by fishing and trapping crabs. But they live in the shadow of a belligerent North Korea, a mere four miles away. Angered by tougher U.N. sanctions and joint military exercises by the United States and South Korea, Pyongyang has issued a range of bombastic threats in recent weeks. The slew of fiery rhetoric from Pyongyang has included threats of pre-emptive nuclear strikes against the United States and South Korea, as well as the declaration that the armistice that stopped the Korean War in 1953 is no longer valid.
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Tensions between North Korea and the South have risen recently
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It is particularly felt on Yeongpyeong Island, South Korea
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The island is a stone's throw from North Korea and was attacked three years ago
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Residents try to live their lives as best they can
North Korea shelled @placeholder in November 2010, killing two South Korean marines and two civilians.
Their attack is portrayed as a military victory that could be repeated, adding to pressure on @placeholder to respond with tough action next time.