North Korean artillery pointed south stirs concern at border observatory
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
GIMPO, South Korea: Visitors to a South Korean observatory that overlooks North Korea said on Tuesday (Oct 27) that the appearance of artillery pieces with their barrels pointed south on the border was worrying, as tensions between the two countries intensify.
The two Koreas have traded barbs and strengthened their postures along the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating them since September, after a mine blast there wounded three South Korean soldiers. South Korea has demanded that North Korea apologise, while Pyongyang has accused Seoul of fabricating the incident.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea's leader, said last Thursday that Pyongyang would place loudspeakers that can blast anti-South Korean propaganda on standby along the entire border within days and had put unspecified new countermeasures on alert.
On Friday, South Korean media photographed an armoured vehicle in clear view near the frontier. By Monday, there were three with their gun barrels pointed south, according to a Reuters witness.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
"I'd only seen on TV that North Korea had deployed 122mm artillery, but seeing the area in person makes me realise just how real the danger is," Jang Gil-seong, an 83-year-old war veteran who fought in the Vietnam War, said outside the Aegibong observatory, which overlooks North Korea's Kaephung county from about 1.4 km away.
"I'm really concerned about how much South Korea will need to do to prepare for and respond to this threat in the future."
The DMZ remains a draw for foreign and local tourists despite periodic flare-ups in tensions between the two Koreas, which remain technically at war.
Hannah Robbins, a 28-year-old tourist from Canada, said her tour group had only found out about the artillery pieces after their guide told them about the weapons at the observatory.
"We're a bit scared obviously," she said. "The tour guide was like 'don't worry, they won't shoot' but then it's a bit of a worry that we have right now."
Analysts identified the weapons as M-1981 122mm self-propelled howitzers, an older North Korean artillery system believed to have entered service in the late 1970s.
They have a maximum range of about 24km, putting areas such as the South Korean town of Gimpo where the observatory is located within reach, although they are less powerful than newer artillery systems, said Yang Uk, a military expert at Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
"I would view this more as a display of firepower than a meaningful increase in combat capability," Yang said.
"The fact that it was positioned where it can be easily seen suggests it was deployed to be noticed."
South Korea's military also described the weapons as an older system.
"While North Korea has mentioned new weapons systems in its recent statements, we believe that this cannot be considered as such," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Jang Do-young told a briefing on Tuesday.
Newsletter
Week in Review
Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review
Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.
Newsletter
Morning Brief
Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief
An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app