North Korea fires artillery into buffer area

SEOUL: South Korea on Wednesday criticised North Korea for unleashing a fresh artillery barrage into waters off its east and west coasts, targeting a maritime “buffer zone” set up in 2018 to reduce tensions, Yonhap news agency reported.

Pyongyang has dramatically ramped up missile launches and military exercises in recent weeks, as Seoul and Washington say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is close to conducting what would be his country´s seventh nuclear test. Roughly 250 rounds were launched late on Tuesday, South Korea´s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, calling it a “clear violation” of the 2018 agreement, according to Yonhap.