North Korea once again conducted artillery shell firings near its tense sea boundary with South Korea on Sunday. This comes as the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, mocked South Korea’s ability to detect its weapons launches. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff dismissed Kim Yo Jong’s statement as “a comedy-like, vulgar propaganda” meant to undermine trust in the military and stoke divisions.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that North Korea fired more than 90 rounds near the disputed western sea boundary, urging North Korea to stop provocative acts immediately. North Korea confirmed that it used coastal artillery systems for live-firing exercises, claiming that the drills were part of its military training schedules and posed no threat to South Korea.
The animosities between the two Koreas have escalated due to North Korea’s barrage of missile tests since 2022 and South Korea’s expanded military training with the United States. The artillery firings on Friday prompted South Korea to have its troops on border islands fire artillery rounds near the sea boundary in response. The 2018 military agreement between the two countries to lower front-line military tensions is now in danger of collapsing due to breaches on both sides.
Experts predict that North Korea is likely to ramp up weapons tests and escalate its rhetoric against its rivals ahead of South Korea’s parliamentary elections in April and the U.S. presidential elections in November.