South Korea holds live-fire drills on island near inter-Korean border

On the afternoon of November 27, the South Korean Marine Corps conducted regular live-fire drills on Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, just south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) - the de facto inter-Korean maritime border.

An unnamed South Korean Marine Corps official said the drill was a routine defensive exercise involving K-9 self-propelled guns. About 200 shells were fired during the 30-minute exercise.

The exercise followed a similar drill on September 5 involving K-9 self-propelled guns and Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers conducted on the western border islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong.

South Korea has conducted four rounds of live-fire drills on western border islands this year, including one on January 5 in response to North Korea firing about 200 artillery shells into waters off its west coast.

The South Korean Marine Corps said it will continue to conduct regular live-fire drills at sea in the region to enhance artillery combat capabilities and maintain a solid combat readiness posture.

The waters near the NLL are a flashpoint between the two Koreas, with three naval skirmishes taking place in 1999, 2002 and 2009. North Korea has never recognized the NLL and demands that the border be redrawn further south.