South Korean artillery units have resumed live-fire drills near the heavily militarised inter-Korean border, conducting a series of exercises aimed at strengthening readiness amid heightened tensions with North Korea, the Army announced on April 22.

On April 21, units from the South Korean Army carried out live-fire exercises near the Imjin River in Paju, approximately 30 kilometres northwest of Seoul, Caliber.Az reports via Korean media.

The operation mobilised 12 K9A1 self-propelled howitzers and six K55A1 artillery systems, which fired around 60 shells at designated targets within the U.S.-operated Story Live Fire Complex. It marked the first time in seven years that South Korean forces had used the facility for live-fire drills.

The exercise followed South Korea’s decision in June last year to fully suspend a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement designed to reduce tensions near the border. The pact had prohibited artillery drills and large-scale military exercises in designated land and maritime buffer zones. Seoul's move came in response to North Korea’s persistent provocations, including mass launches of balloons filled with trash across the border and electronic jamming of GPS signals near South Korean islands.

Last month, South Korea and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding allowing the South Korean military to resume operations at the Story Live Fire Complex, paving the way for the latest artillery drills.

According to the Army, the resumption of exercises at the range is intended to improve long-range strike capabilities and reinforce the ability to respond immediately to any North Korean artillery attacks.

Just days earlier, on April 16–17, the Army had conducted large-scale nighttime live-fire drills in the coastal border county of Goseong, about 160 kilometres northeast of Seoul. The two-day exercise, involving approximately 300 troops from the Army’s Third Corps, was held near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the East Sea and marked the first such operation in that area since July 2023.

The Goseong drills also followed the suspension of the 2018 inter-Korean pact and featured around 40 key military assets, including K9A1 self-propelled howitzers, Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers, counter-battery radar systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Military officials stressed that both sets of exercises were designed to bolster combat readiness, enhance surveillance capabilities, and ensure a swift response to any future provocations by North Korea.

By Tamilla Hasanova

Source: caliber.az