South Korean army K9A1 self-propelled howitzers fire live rounds at the Story Live Fire Complex in Paju, South Korea, April 21, 2025. (South Korean army)
The South Korean military resumed artillery practice this week at a firing range in Paju, the first such drill at the range near the northern border since the two Koreas suspended a deconfliction agreement last year.
Twelve K9A1 and six K55A1 self-propelled howitzers fired around 60 shells during Monday’s exercise at the Story Live Fire Complex, about three miles south of the border, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement Tuesday.
The drill included simulated target practice and radar-guided counter-artillery training, the ministry said. The purpose was to demonstrate military readiness and build troops’ confidence in their capabilities.
The artillery systems — both developed and produced in South Korea — fire 155 mm rounds and are a key component of the country’s deterrence against potential aggression from the North.
The live-fire exercise marked the first training at the Paju site since the two Koreas signed the Comprehensive Military Agreement in 2018, which suspended artillery drills and imposed no-fly zones near the border to ease tensions.
That pact effectively collapsed in late 2023 after both nations accused each other of violations.
The South partially suspended the provision that prohibited aerial spy operations at its northern border after North Korea successfully put a military satellite in orbit on Nov. 21, 2023.
Pyongyang uses ballistic missile technology to launch its satellites, which violates U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban the communist regime from testing the long-range missiles, according to Seoul.
Following Seoul’s partial suspension, Pyongyang announced it would pull out of the agreement entirely and redeploy armed troops at guard posts near the border.
South Korea completely withdrew from the accord on June 4, after the North floated hundreds of balloons carrying trash across its border with the South.
South Korea has conducted other artillery drills near the border since scrapping its agreement with the North.
From June to July, South Korean soldiers and marines held artillery drills at unspecified ranges near the Military Demarcation Line, the actual border that divides the Korean Peninsula, the ministry said at the time.
Also Monday, South Korea launched its fourth military reconnaissance satellite from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The satellite successfully established communication with ground stations and is designed to monitor activity in North Korea, the ministry said.
