Tensions escalate as North Korea conducts consecutive artillery drills near the disputed sea boundary, prompting a swift response from South Korea, amid heightened war readiness calls from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
North Korea engaged in another round of artillery drills near the disputed sea boundary with South Korea on Saturday. This follows similar exercises the day before, which prompted South Korea to respond with its own firing drills in the same area. The North's consecutive drills align with Kim Jong Un's repeated calls for heightened war readiness in response to what he perceives as deepening confrontation led by the US.
Experts believe that North Korea's provocative weapons tests are part of a strategy to enhance its negotiating leverage with the US, especially as the US heads into November elections. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the North fired more than 60 rounds near the western sea boundary on Saturday afternoon. South Korea strongly urged North Korea to cease actions that escalate tensions and warned of overwhelming responses to any provocations.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that South Korea would take corresponding military steps if North Korea continues artillery drills posing a threat to its nationals. However, the statement did not specify whether South Korea would respond with its own drills. These firing exercises violate a 2018 inter-Korean agreement intended to ease front-line military tensions, signaling the deterioration of the deal due to rising animosities, particularly after North Korea's military spy satellite launch in November.
In the previous maritime firing exercise on Friday, North Korea fired about 200 artillery shells near the area, marking its first such exercise in the buffer zone in about a year. In response, South Korea's Defense Ministry reported that troops on two border islands fired artillery rounds south of the sea boundary, with local media estimating about 400 rounds.
Concerns escalated ahead of the South Korean drills, leading authorities to ask residents on five major islands near the western sea boundary to evacuate temporarily. North Korea's military responded by warning of "tough counteraction on an unprecedented level" if South Korea engages in provocations.
The western sea boundary has been a historical flashpoint, with naval skirmishes in 1999, 2002, and 2009, and deadly incidents such as the alleged torpedoing of a South Korean warship in 2010. Kim Jong Un's recent strong rhetoric against South Korea, dismissing it as a partner for reconciliation or unification, raised alarms. He also ordered the military to use all available means, including nuclear weapons, to conquer South Korea in the event of a conflict.
Since 2022, North Korea has conducted over 100 missile tests, including nuclear-capable weapons targeting the US mainland and South Korea. In response, the US and South Korea have expanded their military training, which North Korea views as invasion rehearsals.