South scraps maritime buffer zone after North fires artillery shells

The South Korean military said the buffer zone outlined in the 2018 inter-Korean has become invalid since North Korea fired artillery over the past three days. This buffer zone extends 135 kilometers (83.8 miles) in the West Sea.

North Korea's Korean Central TV shows a 44-second video of North Korean soldiers detonating explosives on Saturday. Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, released a statement on Sunday claiming that the South Korean military mistook the explosives for artillery shells. [KOREAN CENTRAL TV/ YONHAP]

The South Korean military said the buffer zone outlined in the 2018 inter-Korean has become invalid since North Korea fired artillery over the past three days.

"North Korea has violated the Sept. 19 [2018] military agreement on approximately 3,000 occasions," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun said on Monday. "And in the last three consecutive days, it has fired artillery shells into the Yellow Sea."

"Consequently, a zone suspending all hostile activities no longer exists," Lee said.

Under the agreement, all provocative actions are prohibited in the zone, including firing coastal guns and conducting naval exercises.

This buffer zone extends 135 kilometers (83.8 miles) in the Yellow Sea, encompassing the maritime territory between the two Koreas.

That's 85 kilometers south of the Northern Limit Line and 50 kilometers north of the maritime border.

A separate buffer zone in the East Sea spans 80 kilometers.

Lee, however, said the South Korean military will not respond to every provocation initiated by North Korea.

"Our military will conduct firing exercises according to our predetermined schedule," Lee said.

In fact, while the South Korean military fired 400 rounds of shells, including those launched from the K-9 self-propelled howitzer on Friday, in response to approximately 200 artillery rounds from North Korea, it refrained from responding to the North's consequent firings on Saturday and Sunday.

According to the South Korean military, North Korea fired 60 rounds on Saturday and 90 rounds on Sunday.

Lee hinted at the possibility of further provocations from the North, noting that the North Korean military has maintained its gun ports open since unilaterally nullifying the agreement in November.

"We will keep the public informed if North Korea persists in firing artillery, prioritizing the safety of our people," Lee said.

The JCS spokesman rejected the claim by Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, that the South Korean military was tricked.

“Our military has the capability to distinguish between explosives being detonated and artillery firing,” Lee said. “Therefore, we were able to detect the situation accurately and provide information on the number of shells fired and their destination.”

The spokesman added that Kim’s statement seemed to be for domestic consumption, possibly to prevent a loss of public trust and to consolidate internal unity.

“It is also believed to be an attempt to stir conflict within our own country through psychological warfare,” Lee said.

On Sunday, Kim's sister released a statement asserting that the South Korean military had been deceived, emphasizing that the claims of North Korea firing artillery shells were untrue.

Kim said that North Korea had intentionally detonated explosives designed to mimic the sound of 130-millimeter coastal guns, aiming to monitor the South Korean military's detection capability.

She mocked the South Korean military, accusing them of falling for the bait.

On Sunday, North Korean state media, Korean Central TV, released a 44-second video depicting North Korean soldiers burying explosives and then detonating them.

The North Korean military’s General Staff also issued a statement on the same day stating that its 4th Corps conducted a “deceptive operation, simulating shelling,” on Jan. 6.

It added that 88 shells were fired from 23 coastal guns from Tungam-ri, Kangryong County and Yonan County on Sunday.

The North Korean military, however, stressed that the artillery exercise posed no threat to South Korea, underscoring that the drill was conducted in accordance with its regular training plan.

Tensions have been escalating between the two Koreas since North Korea successfully launched a reconnaissance satellite into orbit in November.

The Yoon Suk Yeol government responded by announcing the suspension of the no-fly zone agreement outlined in the 2018 comprehensive military agreement.

Two days later, North Korea declared the complete nullification of the agreement signed by Kim Jong-un and then-President Moon Jae-in.

Since then, North Korea has consistently blamed South Korea for escalating tensions between the two Koreas.

Both Kim Jong-un and his sister have heightened their rhetoric since last month, with the North Korean leader even labeling the South as a "hostile" entity, urging North Korean soldiers to be on standby for a potential takeover.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]