As the rivals accuse each other of ratcheting up tensions on the Korean Peninsula by conducting missile tests, North Korea responded to South Korea's live-firing exercises at border areas by firing around 100 artillery shells toward the sea on Wednesday, according to a report by the AP.
Both sides are conducting drills as tensions over recent missile launches by North Korea, which it describes as mock nuclear strikes on South Korean and American targets, have increased.
150 Artillery Rounds
According to a statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the artillery was being launched from a western North Korean coastal town when it was discovered by the military of South Korea.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff had earlier reported that on Tuesday night, North Korea launched 150 rounds off its east coast and roughly 100 shells off its west coast.
The most major direct violation of the 2018 deal by North Korea occurred last Friday when it fired hundreds of projectiles at the buffer zones, as per AP.
The military of North Korea claimed that the launches were a warning against what it deemed to be provocative South Korean artillery firing drills along the border earlier this week.
The Defense Ministry of South Korea reported that as part of its yearly military drills, artillery practice was performed at land border locations. However, it said that because its exercises didn't involve shells landing in buffer zones, they didn't violate the 2018 agreement.
Read Also : North Korea Launches Another Ballistic Missile, Flies Warplanes Near South Korea's Border
Hoguk Drills with US Troops
The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea issued a warning to North Korea to stop any provocations that endanger the peace on the Korean Peninsula. It said that it is increasing military readiness and that it is closely observing North Korea's actions in collaboration with the United States.
No incidents of violence between the two Koreas were reported. However, tensions may still exist because North Korea is likely to conduct its own weapons tests in response to South Korea's ongoing annual "Hoguk" field exercises, according to the AP.
South Korean officials noted that this year's Hoguk exercises would include an unknown number of U.S. troops and are intended to increase military readiness against North Korean nuclear threats.
North Korea sees typical South Korea-U.S. military instruction as a practice invasion. It claimed that its recent volley of missile launches served as a warning to an earlier ally drill that involved an American aircraft carrier.
A total of 240 warplanes, including F-35 fighters flown by both South Korea and the U.S. will participate in combined air force drills between October 31 and November 4.
The South Korean military said on Tuesday that the exercises aim to assess the two nations' combined operating capabilities and enhance combat readiness.
North Korea has fired 15 test missiles since it began testing on September 25. While flying over Japan, one of the missiles demonstrated a range that may go as far as the American territory of Guam in the Pacific and beyond, according to the AP.
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
