Marine Corps Conducts Northwest Islands Maritime Live-Fire Drill...K9 Howitzers Fire About 190 Rounds

Marine Corps: "Routine Defensive in Nature"

The Republic of Korea Marine Corps conducted a maritime live-fire exercise on February 26 in South Korean waters south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea.

At Baengnyeongdo, our military's K9 self-propelled howitzer is conducting maritime live-fire exercises. Photo by the Ministry of National Defense, Yonhap News

According to military officials on the same day, K9 self-propelled howitzers took part in the maritime live-fire exercise conducted by the 6th Marine Brigade and the Yeonpyeong Unit under the Northwest Islands Defense Command, firing approximately 190 live rounds. The 6th Marine Brigade is deployed on Baengnyeongdo, and the Yeonpyeong Unit is deployed on Yeonpyeongdo; both are the northernmost Marine units in the West Sea.

This was the first Northwest Islands maritime live-fire exercise using K9 self-propelled howitzers this year, and the first in about two months since December 16 last year. The Northwest Islands maritime live-fire exercises, which had been conducted three to four times annually, were suspended under the September 19 inter-Korean military agreement signed in 2018, but were resumed after the Yoon Suk Yeol administration decided in June 2024 to fully suspend the effectiveness of the September 19 military agreement in response to North Korea's provocations, including the launch of trash balloons toward the South. A total of four such exercises were conducted last year.

A Marine Corps official stressed that this is "a routine defensive exercise."

This exercise took place after warning remarks by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un regarding South Korea's drills near the border. According to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on February 26, Kim stated in his summary report to the 9th Party Congress held from February 20 to 21 that "if South Korea's fussy behavior, carried out on the doorstep of a nuclear-armed state, is deemed an act that harms our security environment, we can initiate any action at our discretion," even raising the possibility of South Korea's complete collapse.