(Seoul) South Korea on Wednesday slammed North Korea for carrying out fresh artillery fire in waters off its east and west coasts, targeting a maritime “buffer zone” established in a 2018 deal intended prevent tensions, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
Posted at 1:45 p.m.
Pyongyang has dramatically stepped up missile launches and military drills in recent weeks, as Seoul and Washington say North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is set to conduct what would be his country’s seventh nuclear test.
The North fired around 250 fires Tuesday evening, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, calling it a “clear violation” of the 2018 agreement, according to Yonhap.
“We urge North Korea to immediately cease its actions,” the JCS added in a statement carried by Yonhap.
“North Korea’s continued provocations are actions that undermine the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the international community,” he said.
North Korean state media did not immediately report the incident.
North Korea had already fired artillery into the buffer zone last week.