N. KOREA FIRES ARTILLERY SHELLS

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea fired hundreds of artillery shells into inter-Korean buffer zones. The zones were established under the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement. South Korea's military says it has sent multiple warnings to the North urging it to stop provocations.

[Pkg]

On Tuesday night, North Korea fired artillery shells into inter-Korean buffer zones again. The Joint Chiefs of Staff says more than a hundred shells were fired from Changsankot, Hwanghae-do Province, into the West Sea starting at around 10 p.m. Tuesday. About an hour later some 150 shells were fired into the East Sea at 11 p.m. from Changchon, Gangwon-do Province. The shells fell into the inter-Korean buffer zones north of the Northern Limit Line set under the 2018 military agreement. The latest provocation comes four days after Pyongyang fired more than 560 artillery rounds into the eastern and western buffer zones on October 14. The JCS says no shells have been detected in South Korea's territorial waters this time as well. After detecting the provocation, Seoul's military sent multiple warnings to Pyongyang urging it to stop such acts immediately. The JCS says firing artillery rounds into the eastern and western buffer zones is a clear violation of the 2018 military agreement. It is strongly urging the North to halt its continuous provocations. According to the JCS, North Korea has breached the military agreement at least nine times so far, including the latest firing. The military is monitoring the situation and stepping up combat readiness jointly with the U.S. The latest firing comes on day three of China's Communist Party convention, counter to the expectations that Pyongyang would refrain from conducting any military provocations during the event. Some pundits believe it's an expression of protest against South Korea's field training, including the Hoguk National Defense Training, which began on October 17.