According to Yonhap News Agency on April 22, the South Korean military said on the 22nd that South Korean artillery troops held live-fire exercises near the military dividing line of South Korea and North Korea this week. This is the first time that South Korean troops have exercised at a local U.S. military shooting range in seven years.

  According to reports, the exercise was held on the 21st and was located in the Linjin River area of ​​Pazhou. The troops used 12 K9A1 self-propelled howitzers and 6 K55A1 self-propelled howitzers to fire 60 shells at the targets of the shooting range.

  The report mentioned that in June last year, Seoul accused North Korea of ​​large-scale release of garbage-carried balloons in South Korea, and South Korea subsequently suspended the 2018 agreement to ease tensions between South Korea and North Korea (referring to the "9.19 Military Agreement" - this website note). Under the agreement, the two countries prohibit artillery exercises and large-scale military exercises in areas near the dividing line. Last month, South Korea and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding that would allow South Korean troops to resume use of the training range.

  An South Korean Army officer said artillery exercises in areas near the dividing line have been normalized. (Translated by Guo Jun)

[Editor in charge: Wang Jinzhi]