Asian stock markets fell heavily today on continued fears about the strength of the world's economy. Shares in South Korea and Japan were also hit as neighbouring North Korea went on to a military alert. Japanese stocks fell by 3.1 per cent, shares in South Korea fell by 2.7 per cent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slid by 2.4 per cent. Australian shares fell by 3 per cent, Taiwanese stocks were down 3.23 per cent. Shares in Singapore, Indonesia, China, Thailand, and Malaysia also plunged.