South Korea recognised buffer zones with DPRK are no longer in force

Official representative of the committee, Lee Song Jung, during a briefing stated that the provision of buffer zones in which artillery exercises are prohibited, prescribed in the inter-Korean agreement on reducing tension, is no longer being observed, Azernews reports.

"North Korea has violated the military agreement of September 19, 2018, approximately 3,000 times. In addition, she has been shooting on the west coast for three days. Because of this, the zone where hostile actions have been suspended no longer exists," Lee Song Joon said.

"Instead of reacting to enemy actions every day, our armed forces will conduct firing drills on the northwestern islands by their plans," he added.

In October 2023, the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Korea, Shin Won Sik, reported that the DPRK had violated the inter-Korean agreement on reducing tension about 3,600 times. The agreement provides for the definition of areas where artillery shelling, naval exercises and aviation flights are prohibited. According to the Minister of Defense, since the signing of the treaty, the DPRK has demonstrated about 3,400 times the preparation of barrel artillery and embrasures for use.

Last November, the DPRK Defense Ministry announced that it would cease to comply with the agreement in full, as Seoul announced a decision to cease to comply with part of its provisions. The Republic of Korea refused to implement the agreements on no-fly zones in response to the launch of a reconnaissance satellite.

According to the ROK, since January 5, the DPRK military has conducted artillery practice firing at conventional naval targets for three consecutive days, shells exploded in the buffer zone, which is prohibited by the agreement. The South Korean side, commenting on the shooting, recalled that "hostile actions" are prohibited in buffer zones. On January 5, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea responded by conducting artillery training on naval targets in the buffer zone.