Resumption of Northwest Islands Live-Fire Training After 7 Years [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

Deployment of K9 Self-Propelled Howitzers and Other Units Under Western Army Command
Regular Artillery Training Resumes in Northwest Islands

The Marine Corps resumed the regular K9 naval firing exercises on the northwestern islands, which had been suspended due to the 'September 19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement,' after nearly seven years.

According to the Marine Corps Headquarters on the 26th, the 6th Marine Brigade under the Northwestern Islands Defense Command (hereafter Seobangsa) and the Yeonpyeong Unit conducted naval firing exercises on Baengnyeong Island and Yeonpyeong Island, respectively, on the 26th. Seobangsa is concurrently commanded by Marine Corps Commander Kim Gye-hwan, and the 6th Brigade and Yeonpyeong Unit are stationed on Baengnyeong Island and Yeonpyeong Island, respectively, which are northwestern islands.

During the naval firing exercises, the 6th Regiment and Yeonpyeong Unit fired a total of about 290 rounds, including K9 self-propelled howitzers, Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers, Spike missiles, and 2.75-inch (70mm) guided rockets Bigung, toward a virtual target in the southwestern international waters. The Marine Corps' regular naval firing exercises on the northwestern islands using K9 and others were last held in August 2017, 11 months before the signing of the September 19 Military Agreement. This marks the resumption of regular exercises after 6 years and 10 months.

Following the September 2018 signing of the September 19 Military Agreement between the two Koreas, firing within the maritime buffer zone (hostile acts prohibited zone) near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) was banned. Consequently, the Marine units on the northwestern islands have conducted firing exercises by relocating K9s and others inland. Although naval firing exercises involving K9 self-propelled howitzers were conducted on the northwestern islands on January 5, it was a one-time response to North Korea's provocations within the maritime buffer zone.

In a press release on the day, the Marine Corps stated, "This exercise is the first naval firing exercise on the northwestern islands conducted after the full suspension of the September 19 Military Agreement due to recent North Korean provocations such as GPS jamming and missile launches." They added, "Following today's exercise, we plan to promote the enhancement of the Marine Corps' firepower operation capability and the completeness of military readiness through regular naval firing exercises," declaring the full-scale resumption of regular naval firing exercises on the northwestern islands.

Earlier, in response to North Korea's complex provocations including the release of trash balloons toward the South, GPS signal jamming attacks, and ballistic missile launches, the government held a Cabinet meeting on the 4th and decided to suspend all provisions of the September 19 Military Agreement. On the same day, the military authorities decided to resume maneuver training and artillery firing exercises for units at the regiment level or higher and naval vessels within the land and maritime buffer zones established under the September 19 Military Agreement. Among the military exercises prohibited in the inter-Korean border area by the September 19 Military Agreement, the naval firing exercises on the northwestern islands were the first to be resumed.

North Korea, which does not recognize the NLL and has set its own maritime jurisdiction south of it, has been sensitive to the K9 firing exercises conducted by the Marine units on the northwestern islands near the West Sea NLL. On November 23, 2010, North Korea launched the 'Yeonpyeong Island shelling provocation,' firing 122mm multiple rocket launchers and coastal artillery at Yeonpyeong Island, using the Marine Corps' K9 firing exercises at the Yeonpyeong Unit as a pretext. Therefore, the resumption of K9 firing exercises by the Marine units on the northwestern islands may raise the level of military tension around the West Sea NLL.

Regarding this, Seobangsa stated, "This firing exercise was an annual, defensive training conducted in compliance with the Armistice Agreement under the observation of the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission international observers, following normal procedures such as issuing prior navigation warnings." They added, "For the safety of residents, safety text messages were sent before firing, announcements were made on the day of firing, and resident evacuation guidance teams were deployed, implementing safety measures for the public."