Gimpo:Seoul North Korean artillery recently observed along the western front line is considered to be legacy weaponry rather than a new system, as initially threatened by Pyongyang, according to a South Korean military official.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the artillery, thought to be self-propelled, was spotted further south than usual along the western front near the inter-Korean border. It was visible enough to be captured by South Korean media cameras. Photos taken from an observation deck in Gimpo, west of Seoul, showed what experts believe to be a 122 millimeter self-propelled howitzer positioned in the coastal border area of Kaepung County, Hwanghae Province.
A spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Capt. Jang Do-young, stated in a press briefing that North Korea appears to have deployed legacy artillery in coastal areas, visible to the South. Despite North Korea's recent mentions of new weapons systems, Capt. Jang emphasized that the observed artillery does not fall into this category.
The sighting comes after Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, threatened to deploy new tactical weapons and resume anti-South propaganda broadcasts in response to South Korean broadcasts and warning shots. The South Korean military has consistently warned against Pyongyang's border activities, which are perceived as breaching the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas.
Photographs revealed a North Korean propaganda slogan on the armored vehicle, calling for the annihilation of "U.S. imperialist aggressors." Nearby, North Korean soldiers were seen raising red flags in what seemed to be a military drill. In recent months, North Korean troops have been constructing tactical roads and fences as part of ongoing border fortification efforts under Kim's directive to define inter-Korean relations as "two hostile states." This deployment marks the first instance of North Korea placing a heavy weapons system directly at the border, a move considered highly unusual by observers.
Source Yonhap News Agency