 |
|
A live-fire drill of the K-9 Thunder (a self-propelled 155mm howitzer)
|
Suspension of drills held close to North Korean border considered for promoting dialogue
The South Korean military is reportedly considering the option of halting live-fire drills around islands in the Yellow Sea this year. The halting of military drills appears to be extending from joint exercises between South Korea and the US to exercises that South Korean troops carry out on their own. “The K9 Thunder [a self-propelled 155mm howitzer] is routinely used in live-fire exercises on Yeonpyeong Island and other northwestern islands, but we’re considering the idea of suspending those exercises in the second half of this year in light of the mood for dialogue on the Korean Peninsula,” a South Korean government source said on June 25. South Korean marines defending the northwestern islands – islands in the Yellow Sea that are close to North Korea – have carried out live-fire drills around Yeonpyeong Island and other islands in the area a couple of times in the first and second halves of each year. “The live-fire artillery drills have taken typically place between July and August and between November and February, to avoid busy times in the fishing industry, such as the crab catching season. During these exercises, the K-9 Thunder, as well as 105mm towed howitzers and 88mm mortars, are used to fire hundreds of rounds to the southwest for a couple of hours,” said a senior official in the military. Since the northwestern islands are located near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea, they are a place of high military tensions between South and North Korea. North Korea has tended to react sensitively when the marines stationed there engage in artillery drills with the K-9 Thunder. When North Korea carried out the provocation of shelling Yeonpyeong Island in Nov. 2010, killing four people, it justified this as a response to live-fire drills by marines stationed there. Concerns have also been raised in the military that halting so many exercises will degrade the military’s combat readiness. In an attempt to assuage these concerns, the Defense Ministry said, “Thus far, no decision whatsoever has been made about halting the live-fire exercises by units on the northwestern islands. The plan to carry out live-fire drills will be reviewed for each unit in order to maintain military readiness.” But the Ministry did not deny that it was considering whether or not to hold the drills. By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
