North Korea carried out a series of artillery fires over the weekend, the South Korean military said. The South Korean military has detected “multiple flight paths”, the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said on Sunday. The alleged shots were fired between 8:07 a.m. (23:07 GMT) and 11:03 a.m. Sunday morning, the South Korean general staff said, recalling that Seoul is always ready for a firm military reaction in collaboration with its American ally.
North Korea, which has nuclear weapons, has been conducting a series of weapons tests since the beginning of the year, including the firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time since 2017. In contrast, North Korea’s KCNA news agency, which usually reports successful weapons tests within 24 hours, made no mention of Sunday or other recent missile launches.
Shots that were of the “traditional” type
South Korea’s presidential national security office held a meeting on Sunday evening to discuss the artillery fire and reaffirm Seoul’s position to “respond calmly and sternly” to Pyongyang’s provocations, the presidency said.
Seoul did not immediately release the alleged artillery fire on Sunday morning, as it was a “traditional” type with a relatively low altitude and short range, the presidency added.
Kim Jong-un’s regime plans seventh nuclear test
Seoul and Washington recently warned that the Kim Jong-un regime is planning a seventh nuclear test, which would provoke, according to US Assistant Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, a “swift and forceful” response. Last week, at a three-day political conference, Kim Jong-un announced a plan to boost his country’s military might. South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup assured on Sunday that Seoul would “strengthen” its military capabilities as well as its security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo to counter the military threat from Pyongyang.