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South Korea's military on Friday conducted a live-fire drill in islands near the disputed inter- Korean maritime border despite the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s condemnation against it.
The Northwest Islands Defense Command, Seoul's military command defending the five West Sea border islands, carried out the drill for about two hours from 3 p.m. local time, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry.
It mobilized K-9 self-propelled howitzers with a range of 40 km and multiple rocket launchers ranging from 23 to 36 km. Those equipments were dispatched from Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong islands.
The two islands have been a hotspot on the Korean Peninsula. The DRPK fired shells at Yeongpyong on Nov. 23, 2010, killing four South Koreans, including two marines. In March 2010, a South Korean navy corvette Cheonan sank in waters near the Baengnyeong Island, killing 46 soldiers.
The live-fire drill also involved the firing of a Spike missile capable of precisely striking the DPRK's coastal artillery positions near the border. It marked the second time that the South Korean military fired the missile, which was deployed in May last year, during the drill near the western sea border.
Earlier in the day, the DPRK's Southwest Frontline Military Command issued a statement, condemning the live-fire drill. It said South Korea "should never forget the lesson from the bitter defeat" in the shelling of Yeongpyeong.
In response, Seoul's defense ministry spokesman told a press briefing that Friday's live-fire drill had nothing to do with the fourth anniversary of the Yeonpyeong shelling that falls on Sunday, saying it was a regularly-held live-fire drill conducted by the command in charge of defending the northwest islands.
