North Korea conducts live fire exercises on its west coast

On Sunday, North Korea conducted live fire exercises on its western coast, in light of escalating tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul.

The North Korean army conducted the exercises north of Yeonpyeong Island, located on the front line in South Korea.

No North Korean artillery shells fell south of the Northern Limit Line, the actual maritime border in the Yellow Sea, and no casualties were reported, according to the source.

The town of Ongjin, which has jurisdiction over South Korea's northwestern islands, issued a warning to the frontline islands as artillery fire was heard from the North Korean side.

The town said in a text message sent to islanders: “The forces on Yeonpyeong Island are responding, but we advise residents to be careful of outside activities.”

North Korea conducted live-fire drills from its southwestern coast for the third day in a row, leading to escalating tensions near the maritime border.

On Friday, North Korea fired about 200 artillery shells from its southwestern coastal areas, prompting South Korean forces on the border islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong to conduct live-fire drills in response.

Friday's North Korean launch was the 16th of its kind, including a missile launch in December 2022. The South Korean military conducted live-fire drills near the maritime buffer zone for the first time since the 2018 agreement was signed.

North Korea's latest threats came after Pyongyang pledged in November to restore military measures that were suspended under a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement. The agreement also included the establishment of land, sea and air buffer zones and a ban on live-fire exercises near the border area to prevent accidental clashes.

Yesterday, Saturday, North Korea conducted live fire exercises for the second day in a row, firing about 60 shells from the west coast, which landed in the maritime buffer zone above the northern border line.

Earlier, Kim Yo Jong , the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said that North Korea conducted a "deception operation" by detonating explosive devices that simulated the sound of 130 mm coastal artillery the day before.

China imposes sanctions on 5 American military companies

The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced the imposition of sanctions on five American military companies that supplied weapons to Taiwan.

A statement issued by the ministry on Sunday said: “The United States violated the “one-China” principle and the three Sino-US communiques and sold weapons to Taiwan under various pretexts to impose unilateral sanctions against Chinese companies and individuals, seriously harming China’s sovereignty and security interests and seriously undermining peace and stability. In the Taiwan Strait, it grossly violates the rights and interests of Chinese companies and Chinese people.

The statement said: “In response to the serious violations mentioned and in accordance with the Chinese Anti-Sanctions Law, China imposed sanctions on 5 companies in the American military industrial complex: BAE Systems Land and Armament, Alliant Techsystems Operation, AeroVironment, ViaSat, and Data Link Solutions.

The statement explained that these restrictions include freezing the assets of these companies in Chinese territory and preventing organizations and individuals in China from any dealings with the mentioned companies.