North Korea Resumes Provocations After 17 Days... "Another Violation of the September 19 Military Agreement" (Comprehensive)

"130 Artillery Shells Fired from East-West Sea... Suspected Multiple Rocket Launchers"
Military: "Violation of September 19 Military Agreement... Provocation Must Stop"

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

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] North Korea has begun its 'winter training' this month and fired artillery shells into the maritime buffer zones set in the East and West Seas under the September 19 inter-Korean military agreement. This marks the resumption of provocations 17 days after launching the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) 'Hwasong-17' on the 18th of last month. Alongside the ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint firing exercises, this is evaluated as a show of force in response to the successive North Korea sanctions announced by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

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 shells, fired toward the East and West Seas from the areas around Geumgang County in Gangwon Province and Jangsan Cape in South Hwanghae Province, respectively.

The impact points of the rocket shells were within the maritime buffer zones north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL). The military warned that this is a violation of the September 19 military agreement and issued multiple warning communications demanding an immediate halt to the provocations.

A Joint Chiefs of Staff official stated, "Artillery firing 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 U.S. and strengthening readiness to prepare for any contingency."

North Korea's artillery firing is the first in about a month since firing around 80 rounds into 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 zones as stipulated by the September 19 military agreement. On the same day, in response to the South Korea-U.S. joint air exercise 'Vigilant Storm,' North Korea fired one ICBM 'Hwasong-17' and five short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs).

This is the first show of force including missile launches since the ICBM Hwasong-17 was fired into the East Sea from the Sunan area of Pyongyang on the 18th of last month, 17 days ago.

This artillery firing is widely assessed as a show of force in response to the South Korean and U.S. forces' firing exercises, including multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), currently underway in the Cheorwon area of Gangwon Province. From the morning of the 5th through the 6th, about 50 MLRS rounds and 140 K-9 self-propelled howitzer rounds were scheduled for firing exercises in the Cheorwon area. The MLRS firing is a joint exercise between South Korea and the U.S. The military has conveyed that despite North Korea's artillery firing, the planned exercises will proceed as scheduled.

Additionally, this is analyzed as a response to the sanctions imposed by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan. The three countries coordinated to announce a series of sanctions on individuals and organizations 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 aim to strengthen the sanctions network against North Korea through overlapping unilateral sanctions.

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