Incheon: Residents of a South Korean island shelled by North Korea last week have taken refuge at a mammoth spa, but life is anything but relaxing and the future looks bleak with no guarantee they will ever go home.

Most of the 1,600 residents of Yeonpyeong have fled the mountainous isle that lies just 3km from the disputed sea border and well within range of North Korea's artillery, which killed four people last week and destroyed dozens of houses.

Many of the 300 or so who have taken over an entire floor of the In Spa World say their frustration is growing and life at the shelter is unbearable.