Conflicts
South Korea: North Korea continues artillery exercises
The undated photo provided by the North Korean state news agency KCNA is said to show leader Kim Jong Un with his daughter visiting a factory for mobile launchers for intercontinental ballistic missiles. photo
© Uncredited/KCNA/KNS/dpa
The situation on the Korean peninsula has recently become more serious. Shooting exercises triggered the alarm on Friday. Now North Korea’s military is firing artillery shells again near the maritime border.
South Korea’s highest command accused its largely isolated neighbor of exacerbating tensions: “We strongly warn North Korea against further artillery fire in the maritime buffer zone.”
On Friday, both countries held artillery exercises in the border area. South Korea’s military responded to North Korea’s firing of around 200 grenades with target practice on two islands near the border. North Korea later said its own exercises were a response to South Korea’s artillery training on its border in recent days.
The residents of the South Korean islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong were asked to take shelter because of the North Korean artillery fire. Yeonpyeong was the target of a North Korean artillery attack in 2010.
Scene of battles
The area around the maritime border has been the scene of repeated battles between warships from both countries in the past. The so-called Northern Limit Line (NLL), which was drawn unilaterally by a UN command after the Korean War (1950-53), is not recognized by North Korea.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been increasing for some time now. After an unprecedented series of missile tests in 2022, North Korea again tested nuclear-capable missiles several times last year in violation of UN ban decisions. The USA and South Korea have expanded their joint military exercises.