Marine Corps stages regular live-fire drills on western border islands - Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- The Marine Corps said Monday it staged regular live-fire drills on islands near the tensely guarded inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea.

The exercise took place on the islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border, according to the Marine Corps.

During the drills, troops reportedly fired some 200 rounds into surrounding waters, involving its K9 self-propelled howitzers and Chunmoo multiple launch rocket systems.

"The drill was an annual, defensive exercise conducted in waters south of the NLL, involving the Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher and K9 self-propelled howitzers," the Marine Corps said in a press notice.

It marks the third such drill this year, following two sessions in February and July.

The live-fire drills were suspended in 2018 under an inter-Korean pact aimed at reducing military tensions. South Korea resumed the drills in 2024 with the suspension of the pact under the previous conservative Yoon Suk Yeol government.

This file photo, provided by the Marine Corps, shows a K9 self-propelled howitzer participating in live-fire drills on islands near the tensely guarded inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea on June 25, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)