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North Korea today fired artillery shells at the maritime buffer zone established by the Sept. 19 inter-Korean military agreement in the east and west seas.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that they detected artillery hits, estimated at about 130 multiplexers, in the East and West Seas, respectively, from the area of Geumgang county, Gangwon province, North Korea, and from the Cape Jangsan area, South Hwanghae province, as of 14:59 today.
In response, the military sent several warning communications to the North, calling it a violation of the September 19 military agreement and urging it to immediately stop provocations.
It has been about a month since North Korea fired about 80 artillery shells in the buffer zone according to the September 19 military agreement in the East Sea in the Geumgang-gun area, Gangwon-do on the 3rd of last month.
At that time, North Korea launched one Hwasong-17 ICBM and five short-range ballistic missiles on the same day in response to the ROK-US joint air exercise “Vigilant Storm”.
North Korea’s armed demonstration, including missiles, is the first in 17 days since the launch of the Hwasong-17 ICBM into the East Sea from Pyongyang’s Sunan area on the 18th of last month.
The shelling of North Korea appears to be a response to the South Korean army’s artillery training held today in Gangwon-do.
It can also be interpreted as a reaction to the recent coordination between South Korea, the United States and Japan, which on the 2nd each announced sanctions against individuals and groups involved in North Korea’s nuclear and missile development.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said: “The artillery fire within the maritime buffer zone in the Eastern and Western Seas is a clear violation of the 9/19 military agreement.
