South Korea Performs Largest Artillery Drills Near North Korea Border
South Korea performed its largest artillery drills near the border of North Korea but there is no military response from the neighboring country.
On Thursday, an army official of South Korea said that there's a total of 300 artillery systems placed by the military units along the border as the army starts firing shells in different directions. This act is only for citing department rules and the condition of anonymity. He also added that North Korea did not show any response of unusual activities.
Regular live-fire drills were conducted by the South Korea's front-line army units. One of the army officials said that the number of artillery mobilized was the biggest ever. The shooting in the major front-line areas was a departure from the previous exercises.
August 18, Thursday, is the 40th anniversary of 'Ax murder incident' in 1976 where in two US soldiers were killed by North Koreans in a border class over US to trim a tree. The most heavily fortified in the world is the border between Korea and the two countries frequently exchange gunfire in the frontier.
In August 2015, it also marked the artillery exchange between North Korea and South Korea following landmine explosions that wounded two South Korean soldiers.
In last year's artillery firing, no reports of injuries were reported. South Korea said that North Korea fired first but North Korea denied the claim and responded with anger.
Seoul reported that a senior North Korean diplomat living in London defected to South Korea. Further announcements are expected to infuriate North Korea. It typically calls high-profile defectors traitors and accuses South Korea of luring its citizens to defect.