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Roundup: S. Korea stages firing exercises in western islands near DPRK on anniversary of shelling of Yeonpyeong island

Xinhua, November 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

South Korea's military on Monday staged its maritime firing exercises in northwestern islands near the sea boundary with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Seoul's defense ministry said.

A ministry official said by phone that the military conducted the live-fire exercises for around 40 minutes from 4 p.m. local time (0700 GMT) with its K-9 self-propelled artilleries in islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong.

All of about 300 rounds of artillery shells fell southwest on the South Korean territorial waters, the official said.

The military originally planned to mobilize Spike missiles and 130-mm multiple rocket launchers for the firing drill, but the worsening weather conditions from a heavy sea fog led to the reduced mobilization.

The firing drill was carried out to mark the fifth anniversary of the DPRK's shelling of the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong.

Five years ago, the DPRK shelled the Yeonpyeong, one of the five South Korean border islands near the west sea boundary, killing two civilians and two marines.

The DPRK's Southwest Front Command of the Korean People's Army (KPA) said in a statement Sunday that if the South Korean military pushes ahead with the firing drill, it will make ruthless retaliations against the five islands.

There has been no specific movement found from the DPRK forces yet, according to the military official.

The firing exercise came amid signs of improved inter-Korean relations as the two Koreas agreed to hold working-level contact on Thursday at the Tongil House, an administrative building on the north side of the truce village of Panmunjom.

During the working-level contact, the two sides are expected to discuss the timing, venue and agenda for inter-governmental talks, which the two Koreas agreed in August to hold in Seoul or Pyongyang at an earliest possible date.

After marathon talks, top-level military officials from the two Koreas reached an agreement on Aug. 25 to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula, triggered by landmine blasts on frontline areas and a rare exchange of fire across the border. Enditem