A K9A1 self-propelled howitzer fires a shell during an Army drill in Paju, Gyeonggi Province on April 22, 2025. Yonhap

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SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - Live-fire artillery drills were conducted along the inter-Korean border for the first time in several years, military authorities said on Tuesday.

To enhance the military's combat readiness, around 60 rounds were fired from more than a dozen self-propelled howitzers, hitting targets at a firing range in Paju, Gyeonggi Province the previous day.

The drills came about seven years after Seoul and Pyongyang signed a cross-border pact in 2018 pledging to cease hostile activities near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The military pact signed on Sept 19, 2018 amid a thaw in relations with North Korea under the former President Moon Jae-in halted artillery and other military exercises and reconnaissance operations along the inter-Korean border.

But North Korea's continuous provocations, missile launches, and its recent bizarre campaign of sending trash-filled balloons toward the South effectively invalidated the pact, prompting Seoul to decide to resume training and other drills in June last year.

"The recent drills have boosted military morale," said a military official, vowing to "remain fully prepared to respond immediately and accurately to any enemy attack."
Im Yoon-seo 수습기자 lyseo0330@ajupress.com

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