Continuous Shelling in Maritime Buffer Zone Following Last Night
10 Violations of 9·19 Agreement Accumulated... "South's Preemptive Provocation" Blatant Accusation
Artillery firing competition scenes of North Korean artillery units released by the Korean Central News Agency in November 2021. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] North Korea violated the September 19 inter-Korean military agreement consecutively by conducting over 350 artillery rounds of fire into the maritime buffer zones of the East and West Seas over a span of 14 hours. Meanwhile, it is displaying a brazen attitude, claiming it is a "response to the enemy (South Korea)'s preemptive provocations."
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the 19th around 12:30 PM, North Korea was observed firing about 100 artillery rounds into the West Sea from the area around Yeonan County, South Hwanghae Province. The impact points were within the northern maritime buffer zone north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) as stipulated by the September 19 military agreement, and no shells landed in South Korean territorial waters.
The military authorities condemned North Korea's artillery fire as a violation of the September 19 agreement and issued multiple warning communications demanding an immediate halt to the provocations.
Earlier, starting from 10 PM the previous day, North Korea fired about 100 artillery rounds into the West Sea from the Jangsan Cape area in Hwanghae Province, and from 11 PM, about 150 rounds into the East Sea from the Jangjeon area in Gangwon Province. In total, over 14 hours, they fired approximately 350 rounds of artillery.
On the 14th, North Korea indiscriminately fired over 560 rounds in five locations, violating the September 19 agreement: about 130 rounds into the West Sea from the Majang-dong area in Hwanghae Province around 1:20 AM; about 40 rounds into the East Sea from the Gu-eup-ri area in Gangwon Province around 2:57 AM; about 90 rounds into the East Sea from the Jangjeon area around 5 PM; about 90 rounds near Haeju Bay in the West Sea around 5:20 PM; and about 210 rounds west of Jangsan Cape.
At the time of the artillery fire on the 14th, the North Korean General Staff spokesperson claimed in a statement that the multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) firing drills were conducted as a warning against "the enemy's deliberate provocative acts" and were intended as a retaliatory demonstration.
Similarly, just before the announcement by our military authorities on this day, the North Korean General Staff spokesperson stated through the Korean Central News Agency, "Between approximately 8:27 AM and 9:40 AM today, the enemy again committed a military provocation by firing about 10 rocket artillery rounds in the forward area of our 5th Corps."
This is evaluated as a brazen claim that labels our legitimate training as a 'provocation' and justifies violations of the agreement. Additionally, by continuing military demonstrations using artillery fire during the Chinese Communist Party Congress period (16th to 22nd), North Korea appears to be shifting responsibility for the escalating security situation on the Korean Peninsula onto both South Korea and the United States, while building justification for further provocations.
With this, the total number of North Korea's violations of the September 19 agreement has increased to 10. Notable past cases include coastal artillery fire at Changrindo Island in November 2019 and shooting at a guard post (GP) in the Demilitarized Zone on the central front in May 2020. Since the 14th, eight violations have occurred up to this day.
Meanwhile, MLRS firing drills have been conducted in the Cheorwon County area of Gangwon Province from the 17th through the 21st. All drills are carried out south of the ground buffer zone. Various firing exercises, including tank guns and MLRS, have been regularly conducted monthly at the Cheorwon firing range, with notifications and guidance provided to residents.
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