South Korea Resumes Full-Scale Live-Fire Exercises Near Tense Inter-Korean Maritime Border

The South Korean Marine Corps on Wednesday resumed full-scale live-fire exercises on islands near the heavily guarded western inter-Korean maritime border. This marks the first such exercise in seven years, following South Korea's suspension of an inter-Korean pact that restricted these drills.

The resumption of these exercises came after South Korea fully suspended the 2018 inter-Korean tension reduction accord in early June. This accord had banned live-fire drills in waters near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime boundary between North and South Korea.

Why This Matters: The drills, involving K9 howitzers, Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher systems, and Spike anti-tank missiles, took place on the islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong in the Yellow Sea, just south of the NLL. The Marine Corps reported that troops fired more than 290 rounds into waters off these islands.

"This marks the first maritime firing exercise on the northwestern islands after the September 19 military agreement was fully suspended due to North Korea's provocations, such as the jamming of GPS signals and missile launches," a Marine Corps statement said.

The Marine Corps emphasized that despite the exercise, efforts would continue to enhance their firepower operations capabilities and maintain a high level of military readiness through regular maritime firing exercises.

The last full-scale live-fire exercise on these islands occurred in 2017, before the two Koreas signed the September 19, 2018 military accord. This agreement established a maritime buffer zone and banned such drills to reduce cross-border tensions.

South Korea suspended the deal entirely on June 4 in response to North Korea's provocations, which included launching trash-carrying balloons into the South and attempting to disrupt GPS signals near the border islands. According to Seoul's defense ministry, North Korea has violated the agreement around 3,600 times over the years, including firing coastal artillery shells into the maritime buffer zone.

In January, South Korea conducted limited live-fire drills on the islands in response to North Korean artillery firing into the waters at the time. The Marine Corps described the latest exercise as "defensive," noting that it was observed by the U.N. Command Military Armistice Commission, which oversees the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

Key Takeaways:

• South Korea resumes live-fire drills after suspending 2018 military pact.
• Exercises involve advanced artillery and rocket systems near Northern Limit Line.
• Drills are in response to repeated North Korean provocations and violations.
• Over 290 rounds fired in first full-scale exercise since 2017.
• UN Command Military Armistice Commission observed the defensive drills.