Photo: AP Photo | Since December 5, South Korean and American troops have been conducting exercises near the border with North Korea.
Seoul conducts border drills to deter North Korea. Pyongyang fired more than 130 artillery shells into the sea off its east and west coasts on December 5, some of which landed in the buffer zone.
North Korea has ordered its military to fire artillery at a maritime zone in response to South Korea’s border drills. Reuters writes about this with reference to the state information agency of North Korea CTAK.
Since December 5, South Korean and American troops have been conducting exercises near the border with North Korea. Allies say the maneuvers are necessary to deter North Korea, which has nuclear weapons. Pyongyang has criticized the joint exercises, calling them a provocation and evidence of hostile policies between Seoul and Washington.
The shooting comes after North Korea fired more than 130 artillery shells into the sea off its east and west coasts on December 5. Some of them fell in the buffer zone near the sea border between the countries.
The DPRK declared a combat alert of units of all levels
“The adversary must immediately stop provocative military actions in the front-line zone,” said a representative of the North Korean army.
According to the military, the DPRK has declared a combat alert of units of all levels, the troops have been ordered to increase surveillance.
“We immediately ordered the advanced artillery units to open fire towards the sea to give a serious warning,” Yonhup quoted a representative of the North Korean General Staff as saying.
Seoul demands that Pyongyang stop the shelling
Pyongyang said the shelling was a warning over Seoul’s artillery drills near the border town of Cheorwon on the internal border.
The South Korean military stated that the DPRK had violated the inter-Korean military agreement of September 19, 2018 on the reduction of tensions in the border buffer zones.
This agreement provides for the cessation of all provocative and hostile activities in the areas near the inter-Korean border.
