[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] North Korea's Coastal Artillery Fire... What Is the Countermeasure?

NLL South Shooting Promptly Responded by K-9 Self-Propelled Howitzers and Others

North Korean forces conducted coastal artillery firing in the northwestern island region. This marks the first time in 1 year and 1 month since December 6, 2022, when North Korea carried out firing drills around Goseong and Geumgang in Gangwon Province.

On the 6th, a military official stated, "North Korean forces conducted over 200 rounds of firing for about two hours starting around 9 a.m. the previous day in the areas of Jangsan-got north of Baengnyeongdo and Deungsan-got north of Yeonpyeongdo." The maritime buffer zone was established around the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea and East Sea under the September 19 inter-Korean military agreement signed in 2018 to prevent maritime armed conflicts. Conducting artillery firing or maritime maneuvering drills in the maritime buffer zone constitutes a violation of the military agreement.

The photo shows North Korean coastal artillery.

▲North Korea opens coastal artillery fire... Deployment= It is reported that North Korea also opened the coastal artillery fire at Galdo and Jangjaedo, located just 5 km and 7 km away from Yeonpyeongdo, respectively. Galdo is equipped with 122mm coastal artillery and was visited by North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un in 2016. Jangjaedo has 76.2mm and 122mm coastal artillery and is considered a strategic stronghold for North Korea, with Kim visiting more than four times. Gaemori area is only 12 km away from Yeonpyeongdo, where North Korea deployed 122mm long-range artillery in 2010 to launch a surprise attack on Yeonpyeongdo. Currently, 85mm coastal artillery is reported to be deployed there. After the September 19 military agreement, North Korea had closed all coastal artillery fire positions including Galdo and Jangjaedo.

The military believes that North Korea, having declared the termination of the September 19 agreement, is likely to deliberately escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula and provoke internal conflicts in the South through localized provocations. The military's elevation of the firepower readiness posture in the frontline areas is part of this response. Increasing firepower readiness means more combat-ready artillery such as K-9 self-propelled howitzers. These artillery units maintain a posture to be deployed to firing positions in the shortest time possible in case of enemy provocations. Additionally, surveillance of North Korean artillery is intensified. The military is also reportedly prepared to respond proportionally and immediately to more serious provocations depending on the nature and field of the provocation.

K-9 Self-Propelled Howitzer developed by Samsung Techwin, a domestic defense company

K-9 Self-Propelled Howitzer Deployed at Forward Unit

▲Proportional response with K-9 self-propelled howitzers= If North Korea conducts artillery provocations south of the West Sea NLL, South Korea plans to resume firing with K-9 self-propelled howitzers stationed on Baengnyeongdo and Yeonpyeongdo. The K-9 self-propelled howitzer is an upgraded version of the existing K-55 howitzer and is regarded as the "first domestically produced premium weapon system." The K-9 howitzer has a barrel length of 52 calibers exceeding 8 meters, which is over 2 meters longer than the K-55. Its firing range exceeds 40 km. The Gaemori coastal artillery base, where North Korea launched its artillery provocation on the 23rd, is about 12 km from Yeonpyeongdo, allowing for precise targeted firing.

The K-9 howitzer can fire its first round within 30 seconds when stationary and within 1 minute while on the move, making its initial firing speed faster than previous self-propelled howitzers. It is equipped with an automatic loading system and an automatic barrel movement system, allowing the firing control computer to automatically load ammunition in the direction of the target once the target's location is input. This enables shells fired from different times and locations to land simultaneously on the same target.

▲Precision strike on concealed tunnels with ‘Spike’= The South Korean military deployed Spike missiles in the northwestern island region in 2013. The Spike missile, with an effective range of 25 km and weighing 71 kg, has the capability to precisely strike coastal artillery concealed inside tunnels. Through the electro-optical lens mounted on the missile's warhead, operators can remotely control fine adjustments left-right and up-down in real time to accurately penetrate coastal tunnels. If coordinates are pre-entered, no additional operation is required. It can be reloaded and fired again within 3 to 5 minutes. The missile is produced by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and costs approximately 200 to 300 million KRW per unit. The military has not disclosed the exact number of Spike missiles or dedicated vehicles.

Following the Yeonpyeong artillery provocation, the South Korean military has been pushing for the introduction of Spike missiles. It was difficult to perfectly strike coastal artillery hidden in tunnels with K-9 self-propelled howitzers deployed on Baengnyeongdo and Yeonpyeongdo. Although initially scheduled for deployment in 2012, the introduction was delayed by about six months because some performance aspects did not meet the military’s requirements. The military requested improvements from Israel and conducted four rounds of local test firings.

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