SEOUL: In response to North Korea’s firing of over 200 artillery shells earlier in the day, the South Korean military conducted a live-fire drill on Friday.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the Sixth Marine Brigade on Baengnyeong Island and the Yeonpyeong Unit on Yeonpyeong Island engaged in live maritime shooting drills using K9 self-propelled howitzers and tank guns at approximately 3 p.m.
This is the first instance of Marine units stationed on the northwestern islands conducting such drills since the signing of the inter-Korean military agreement in 2018. North Korea’s initial provocation marked the first time in 13 months that its military performed live-fire drills in the maritime buffer zone.
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The last incident occurred when shells were directed toward the East Sea in the Goseong and Geumgang areas of Gangwon Province on December 6, 2022.
The South Korean military classified North Korea’s artillery firing as a provocation as the rounds landed in the maritime buffer zone of the West Sea. In response, the live-fire drill was conducted as a measured reaction to the provocation.
