North Korea Resumes Provocations After 17 Days... "130 Artillery Shells Fired at East and West Seas" (Update)

Military "Violation of the September 19 Military Agreement... Provocations Must Stop"
Anti-UN, US, Japan Sanctions Armed Demonstration

Artillery firing training scene of North Korean troops Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] North Korea resumed provocations by conducting artillery fire in the maritime buffer zone established under the September 19 inter-Korean military agreement.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that starting around 2:59 p.m. on the 5th, they detected approximately 130 artillery rounds, presumed to be multiple rocket launcher fire, toward the east and west seas from the areas around Geumgang County in Gangwon Province and Jangsan Cape in South Hwanghae Province, respectively.

In response, the military issued multiple warning communications demanding an immediate halt to the provocations, citing violations of the September 19 military agreement.

A Joint Chiefs of Staff official explained, "Artillery fire within the maritime buffer zones in the east and west seas is a clear violation of the September 19 military agreement," adding, "We are closely monitoring related developments in tight coordination with the United States and are strengthening our readiness posture to prepare for any possible situation."

This artillery fire by North Korea comes about a month after it fired around 80 rounds toward the East Sea from the Geumgang County area in Gangwon Province on the 3rd of last month. At that time, North Korea also conducted firing within the buffer zone established by the September 19 military agreement. On the same day, in protest against the joint U.S.-South Korea air exercise 'Vigilant Storm,' North Korea launched one intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-17 and five short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs).

North Korea's military demonstrations, including missile launches, occurred 17 days after it fired the Hwasong-17 ICBM toward the East Sea from the Sunan area in Pyongyang on the 18th of last month.

This recent artillery fire is analyzed as a response to sanctions imposed by the trilateral alliance of South Korea, the United States, and Japan. Through coordination, the three countries announced a series of sanctions on individuals and entities involved in North Korea's nuclear and missile development on the 2nd. With the United Nations Security Council unable to take further action due to non-cooperation from China and Russia, South Korea, the U.S., and Japan have sought to strengthen the sanctions network against North Korea through overlapping unilateral sanctions.

Additionally, it is evaluated that this action also reflects opposition to the South Korean military's artillery firing exercises conducted from this day through the 6th.

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