South Korea says the North has again fired artillery shells near their sea border
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea conducted a new round of artillery drills near the disputed sea boundary with South Korea on Saturday, officials in Seoul said, a day after the North’s similar exercises prompted South Korea to respond with its own firing drills in the same area.
The North’s back-to-back firing exercises come after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un repeatedly called for stronger war readiness to cope with what he called deepening confrontation led by the U.S.
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Experts say North Korea is likely to continue its provocative run of weapons tests to boost its leverage in potential future negotiations with Washington as the U.S. heads into November elections.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the North fired more than 60 rounds into the waters north of the western sea boundary on Saturday afternoon.
The joint chiefs said South Korea strongly urges North Korea to halt acts that heighten tensions.
It said it will take corresponding military steps if North Korea continues artillery drills that pose a threat to South Korean nationals.
The statement didn’t say whether South Korea would respond with its own drills. South Korean media reported the South didn’t stage firing exercises, after determining the direction of North Korean shells fired Saturday was less provocative than Friday.
The Koreas’ firing exercises were a violation of a 2018 inter-Korean agreement that was meant to ease front-line military tensions.
