Seoul: North Korea fires hundreds of artillery shells againGovernment formation in Italy: Consultations with President Mattarella begin

North Korea shot down more than 250 artillery shells from the west and east coasts on Tuesday evening (local time), the general staff of the South Korean Armed Forces said. The projectiles fell in the so-called maritime buffer zones, which were established in 2018 to reduce tension.

None of the projectiles fell into South Korean territorial waters, it said. However, South Korea accused the shielded neighbor of violating its military agreement.

North Korea fired numerous artillery shells on Friday. North Korea has confirmed the latest artillery exercise. The aim was to warn South Korea about its military exercises, state media said in a statement from the military leadership.

South Korea began annual military exercises on Monday. According to the company, the multi-day Hoguk maneuver is intended to improve defense capabilities in the face of the threat posed by North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles. The maneuver is the latest in a series of military exercises in South Korea, including joint exercises with US forces in recent weeks.

The situation on the Korean peninsula is very tense. North Korea has been testing ballistic missiles and other weapons at an unusually high frequency since late September. According to Pyongyang, the missile tests should also simulate the shelling of South Korean airports with tactical nuclear weapons. UN resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles of any range, which, depending on the design, can also carry a nuclear warhead. (sda/dpa)