North Korea Conducts Late-Night Military Demonstration with Ballistic Missiles and Artillery Fire...

Around 80 Artillery Shells Fired Toward the East Sea from Gangwon Geumgang-gun Area

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Following the ballistic missile launch, North Korea continued its show of force with artillery fire within the maritime buffer zone under the September 19 military agreement. This appears to be a response to the extension of the South Korea-U.S. joint air exercises.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 4th, North Korea fired about 80 artillery rounds from around 11:28 p.m. the previous day in the area of Geumgang County, Gangwon Province, toward the East Sea. The impact points were within the maritime buffer zone as stipulated by the September 19 agreement, marking another violation of the agreement by North Korea. The military issued a warning communication to notify that the shelling was a breach of the military agreement and demanded an immediate halt to the provocation.

Earlier, on the 3rd, from around 9:35 p.m. to 9:49 p.m., North Korea launched three SRBMs toward the East Sea from the area around Goksan, North Hwanghae Province. The missiles were detected flying approximately 490 km, reaching an altitude of about 130 km, and traveling at a speed of about Mach 6 (six times the speed of sound).

On the morning of the 3rd, at around 7:40 a.m., North Korea launched one intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) toward the East Sea from the Sunan area of Pyongyang, and at around 8:39 a.m., two SRBMs from the Kaechon area in South Pyongan Province, followed by another ballistic missile launch.

The nighttime provocations are analyzed as a backlash against the decision by South Korea and the U.S. to extend the period of the joint exercise 'Vigilant Storm' beyond its originally scheduled end on the 4th. News of the extension was reported around 2 p.m. on the 3rd, and Park Jong-chon, Vice Chairman of North Korea’s Central Military Commission overseeing military policy, criticized the extension as a "very dangerous and wrong choice" in a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency at around 8:38 p.m.

Less than an hour later, North Korea acted on its threat by launching three ballistic missiles and even carried out artillery fire violating the September 19 agreement. Since the start of Vigilant Storm on the 28th of last month, North Korea has strongly reacted by firing at least 33 missiles.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "Artillery fire within the maritime buffer zone is a clear violation of the September 19 agreement, and North Korea’s continued provocations are acts that undermine peace and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the international community, and we strongly warn against them." They added, "The military is closely monitoring related developments in tight coordination with the U.S. and South Korea, strengthening readiness to prepare for any possible situation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.