Not nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles but artillery are Pyongyang’s main weapon in the military balance on the Korean peninsula.
The statement came just hours after South Korea confirmed that the North fired more than 250 shells into the area off its east and west coasts.
The move was in response to a series of “enemy military provocations”, a reference to the ongoing Hoguk military drills in South Korea, a North Korean military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
South Korea began its annual drills in Hoguk on October 16 aimed at strengthening its ability to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. The exercise will run until October 28.
North Korea continued to fire 100 artillery shells into the western sea, and on the second day (October 19) in a row mobilized artillery to retaliate against the US-South Korea drills.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Pyongyang fired about 100 artillery shells from South Hwanghae province into the western waters of the Korean peninsula at 12:30 p.m. on October 19, 2022, accusing it of being a move. violates the de-escalation agreement signed by the militaries of the two countries in 2018.
The North Korean military later announced the shelling was in retaliation for the South’s “military aggression” along the demarcation line on the morning of October 19, 2022.
“The enemy fired more than 10 rockets in the area near the front line controlled by the 5th Army of Korea from 8:27 am to 9:40 am. The continuous aggression near the line should stop immediately.”, a spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army said.
Not nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles but artillery are Pyongyang’s main weapon in the military balance on the Korean peninsula.
Due to special circumstances, North Korea still prioritized the development of artillery. It can be said that North Korea possesses the strongest artillery force in the world.
In 2010, the country’s artillery reached the number 21,100 guns, now this number is continuing to increase and falls to about 22,000 cannons of all kinds.
More frightening, they are focusing on developing long-range and super-long-range artillery, capable of reaching every corner of the Korean capital.
The North Korean long-range artillery also puts US military bases in South Korea under combat range.
Only about 40 kilometers from the demilitarized zone (DMZ), even the South Korean capital Seoul is an ideal target for shelling from North Korea.
Military experts Victor Cha and David Kang said that with this large number of artillery pieces, North Korea can fire 500,000 rounds at the enemy in just an hour.
In addition to a large number of artillery pieces, the North Korean artillerymen are also capable of very accurate firing. High training intensity is the factor that helps North Korean artillerymen have the best shooting techniques in the world. Focusing on artillery development is considered a well-thought-out choice by North Korea.
In the context of limited economic potential, the development of tactical missiles together with ballistic missiles will create great pressure on the country’s economy.
The use of artillery that fires a large number of shells will save costs while ensuring more effectiveness than using tactical missiles that are both expensive and easy to intercept.
Recently, North Korea has repeatedly tested long-range artillery as an affirmation of the strength of its military.
According to analysts, North Korea has placed about 8,000 artillery pieces and rocket artillery systems in the area bordering the two Koreas.
North Korea possesses at least five artillery systems that can reach Seoul, the South Korean capital, including a 170 mm Koksan cannon and 240 mm and 300 mm multiple rocket launchers capable of hitting northern suburbs and some areas. part of this city.
The Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability calculates that, if North Korea launched an artillery attack focused on South Korean military targets, 3,000 people would be killed within the first hours.
If the attack is aimed at any target, the number of casualties will increase many times.
With such a high casualty rate, South Korea and the United States, despite many disagreements with Pyongyang, did not dare to go to the brink of war.
Although the defense system of Korea is very strong and modern, with a rain of shells, all countermeasures are almost ineffective.
A special feature that makes it difficult to counter artillery as well as destroys the North Korean artillery positions is that the cannons are hidden in the treacherous mountain.
This is one of the factors that makes North Korea always have a strong position at the negotiating table with the US and South Korea.
