According to the South Korean military, North Korea fired around 130 artillery shells which landed in a buffer zone near the sea border

Photo Credit : KCNA,

North Korea fired around 130 artillery shells into the sea off its east and west coasts on Monday, in the latest apparent military drill near their shared border, according to South Korea's military.

According to Seoul, some of the shells landed in a buffer zone near the sea border, a violation of a 2018 inter-Korean agreement designed to reduce tensions.

The South Korean military issued several warning communications to the North in response to the firing, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defence.

North Korea did not immediately report the artillery fire, but it has been engaging in many military activities, including missile launches and warplane and artillery drills.

This year, South Korea and the United States have also increased military drills, claiming they are necessary to deter the nuclear-armed North.

The 2018 Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA) was the most substantive agreement to emerge from months of talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Recent drills and displays of force along the fortified border between the Koreas, however, have cast doubt on the future of the measures. South Korea has accused the North of repeatedly breaking the agreement this year with artillery drills.

North Korea resumed long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) testing this year for the first time since 2017 and South Korea and the United States say it is preparing to resume nuclear testing as well.