The Marine Corps said on the 24th it conducted live-fire drills at sea near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) off the west coast in the northwestern islands.
According to the Northwest Islands Defense Command (hereafter the command), the 6th Brigade and the Yeonpyeong unit under the command conducted live-fire drills at sea that afternoon, and unit-organized weapons including K9 self-propelled howitzers took part, firing about 170 rounds. The 6th Brigade is a Marine unit stationed on Baengnyeong Island, and the Yeonpyeong unit is stationed on Yeonpyeong Island. The Marine Corps commandant concurrently serves as the commander of the command.
It was the first live-fire drill at sea in the northwestern islands using K9 self-propelled howitzers in about three months since Jun. 25. The drills, held three to four times a year, had been suspended under the Sept. 19 inter-Korean military agreement signed in 2018. They resumed after the Yoon Suk-yeol administration decided in June last year to suspend the agreement's effectiveness in full in response to North Korea's provocations, including the launch of trash-laden balloons toward the South.
After President Lee Jae-myung mentioned on Aug. 15 the preemptive and phased restoration of the Sept. 19 military agreement, there were suggestions that training near the inter-Korean border, including the live-fire drills at sea in the northwestern islands, could be halted. But the live-fire drills proceeded as scheduled.
An official at the command said, "We will continue to fulfill the mission entrusted by the nation and the people and do our best to maintain service members' readiness to carry out their duties."