North Korea fires artillery shells near border with South Korea
North Korea fired artillery shells near the truce village of Panmunjom on Sunday in the border area between the rival Koreas as the South vowed to keep up its efforts to hold a peace deal between the two rival armies.
The South Korean presidential office said in a statement that the artillery shells, which appeared to be unguided rocket projectiles, “brought great concern” to South Korea following an agreement reached with North Korea in February between the two sides.
The presidential office also said that, “by the end of Sunday, North Korea had launched nine new artillery shells at the area and that the South has been reacting to them.”
The statement also said that the situation was still dangerous as “the artillery shells are still flying and have not yet landed in the South’s side of the border.”
The news came as the North’s main ally, China, expressed its support for its neighbour amid growing global scepticism over Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
China has been a reliable source of international support for the North Korean regime.
But on Sunday, China’s most powerful diplomat, Secretary of State Wang Yi, met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang and said he was “fully optimistic” about the nuclear talks.
In a joint statement released following the meeting, China accused the United States of a “reckless and irresponsible” attitude that was endangering regional peace and stability.
