South Korea’s big claim, North Korea fired about 200 shells on the west coast – Dainik Savera Times

Sol: South Korea’s military claimed North Korea fired about 200 shells into the sea off its west coast on Friday morning. The move followed an emergency evacuation order for civilians on South Korea’s western border islands of Yeonpyeong and Byngnyeong. In response, the South Korean military conducted live-fire exercises on border islands. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected firing from North Korea’s southwestern coastal areas of Jangsan Cape and Deungsan Cape between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

The shells fell in the maritime buffer zone north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime boundary in the Yellow Sea. The buffer zone, where firing and naval exercises are banned, was established under an inter-Korean military agreement signed on 19 September 2018 to reduce border tensions. The JCS said there were no reports of any damage to South Korean civilians or military or loss of human life due to North Korean shelling.

The South Korean military described North Korea’s move as a ‘provocative’ action and warned of taking appropriate action. “We seriously warn that North Korea bears full responsibility for such crisis-causing situations, and we strongly call for an immediate cessation of hostilities,” JCS spokesman Col. Lee Sung-joon told a news conference. ‘Under close coordination between South Korea and the US, our military is monitoring and monitoring related activity, and will take appropriate measures against North Korea’s provocations.’

On Friday afternoon, South Korean Marine Corps units on Byungnyeong and Yeonpyeong islands conducted live-fire exercises involving K9 self-propelled howitzers and other assets such as K1E1 tanks against simulated targets in the waters south of NLL, according to defense officials . South Korea fired about 400 rounds into the maritime buffer zone, which is twice the amount fired by North Korea. The South Korean military opened fire in the buffer zone for the first time since the signing of the 2018 agreement. North Korea’s latest shelling is the 16th incident of its kind, including a missile launch in 2022.

Pyongyang last fired cannon shells into the maritime buffer zone in the East Sea on December 6, 2022. Later on Friday, the Korean People’s Army (KPA) issued a statement saying units and sub-units overseeing southwestern coastal defense fired 192 shells at five districts as part of a live-fire drill. In an English-language statement carried by the Korean Agency, the KPA claimed it was ‘a far-fetched claim’ from South Korea that North Korea had shelled the buffer zone near Yeonpyeong and Byungnyeong islands.

South Korea and the United States conducted a joint live-fire exercise near the border with North Korea, aimed at enhancing their joint operational capabilities against North Korean military threats, the South Korean military said Thursday. North Korea on Friday warned against such provocations under the guise of preparations, saying its armed forces will display an “unprecedented level of strong response”. He was quoted as saying, ‘Our Army…needs to be equipped with retaliatory action for complete destruction so that the enemy never tries to provoke and peace is ensured through powerful force.’

Last November, North Korea unilaterally canceled the 2018 agreement after Seoul partially suspended the agreement in protest over North Korea’s successful launch of a military spy satellite. The 2018 agreement, signed under previous moderate President Moon Jae-in, was designed to reduce military tensions, prevent accidental clashes and build mutual trust. This included a sea buffer zone, a land buffer zone banning artillery practice and regiment-level field maneuvers, as well as establishing a no-fly zone near the border to prevent accidental aircraft collisions. South Korea’s spy agency said last month that North Korea was highly likely to launch military provocations or cyberattacks in early 2024, ahead of South Korea’s parliamentary elections in April and the US presidential election in November.