1Berita – South Korea Conducts Military Exercise in Response to North Korean Artillery Attack

On Friday (5/1), South Korea conducted a military exercise involving live firing, as reported by the Ministry of Defense in response to hundreds of North Korean artillery shells fired near the South Korean islands earlier in the day, according to Reuters.

South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that the exercise involved “live ammunition with self-propelled K9 howitzers.”

This marks the first exercise in the region since both countries canceled their military agreement in November, as quoted by AFP.

Today (5/1), between 09:00-11:00 local time, North Korea fired over 200 artillery shells near the Jangsan-got region.

South Korea issued evacuation orders for residents of Yeonpyeong Island and Baengnyeong Island, which are close to the South-North Korean border.

The evacuation order came amid escalating tensions, with North Korea continuously provoking war. In a speech, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged the military to prepare for war and accelerate the nuclear program.

Pyongyang is gearing up for war following strained relations with Seoul, exacerbated by South Korea’s intensified military exercises with the United States and the launch of a North Korean spy satellite in November.

Seoul expressed outrage over the satellite launch, leading to the suspension of parts of the 2018 military agreement between the two Koreas, aimed at easing tensions.

North Korea, in turn, rejected this decision and completely canceled their agreement.

Relations between the two Koreas had previously reached a boiling point in 2010 when Yeonpyeong Island in South Korea was attacked by a series of artillery shells fired from North Korea.