North Korea’s Seaside Shooting Drill: Regular Practice with No Threats

North Korea claimed it conducted shooting training on the coast and islands from Nongam-ri Gangryeong-gun Hwanghae Province to Yeonan-gun on the 7th, but posed no threat to the South.

According to Yonhap News, the North Korean General Staff mobilized 23 coastal artillery guns on the day and conducted training in four eastern areas parallel to the maritime military demarcation line with 88 shells.

The General Staff emphasized, “The shooting area has nothing to do with the military demarcation line in terms of direction and did not pose any intentional threat to hostile countries,” and “It was conducted according to the plan within the normal training system of our military.”

The General Staff revealed the fact of shooting training around 8:20 pm on the day and announced that they had performed a mock deception operation of artillery firing on the 6th which repeated the claim of Kim Yo-jong the deputy director of the Workers’ Party.

Deputy Director Kim, about five hours before the General Staff’s shooting training report was released, stated in a speech released to the Korean Central News Agency, “Our military watched the reaction of the gangsters of the South Korean military by detonating explosives that simulated the fort of the 130mm coastal artillery 60 times,” and claimed that the South was fooled by the deception operation of detonating explosives that imitated the fort.

In response, a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said, “It seems that Deputy Director Kim Yo-jong was surprised at our military’s detection capability and issued a false speech,” and “Even yesterday, North Korea’s artillery firing was captured by our military’s assets.” He urged North Korea to immediately stop military activities that escalate tension in the contact area.

By. Hae Wook Kim