N. Korea Fires Artillery Rounds Into Inter-Korean Maritime Buffer Zones

North Korea fired shells into the maritime buffer zones established in the East and West Seat based on the 9/19 inter-Korean military accord, Yonhap News Agency reports citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

• Pyongyang's heightened military activity this year has involved shelling the buffer zones in violation of the 2018 agreement signed between the two Koreas. The North first violated the pact in October by firing artillery rounds in response to joint South Korean-U.S. military drills.
• This time around, North Korea is seemingly protesting against a multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) drill conducted by South Korean and U.S. militaries in the Cheorwon area, bordering with the North.
• Another reason for North Korea's provocative artillery exercise might be a fresh round of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its regional allies Japan and South Korea last Friday.