Kim Jong Un orders artillery firing near disputed sea boundary with South Korea

Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of North Korea ordered the country's troops to practice artillery firing near the disputed sea boundary with its rival, South Korea. The North Korean Agency reported that the coastal artillery company's actions during Kim's visit to the west coast's Chagrin Islet entirely showed their gun firing skills and 'delighted the supreme leader'. However, the time of the visit along with the specific weapons which were fired still remained unclear. 

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Immediate rebuke from Seoul

The incident fueled an immediate rebuke from Seoul. The South Korean Unification Ministry also said that it was North Korean leader's first known trip to a front-line military unit since April last year which was the beginning of his diplomatic engagement with the United States. Seoul’s Defence Ministry expressed regret over the drills ordered by Kim and said that they violated the deals which were settled between the two countries last year to lower military animosities along the border and the disputed area. The South Korean spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo, Pyongyang must stop such acts which will result in increasing military tensions and abide by the agreements made in the past. 

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North Korean and US diplomacy

Amidst the escalating tensions between Nouth Korea and US diplomacy, the latest revelation was a new sign of impatience from Kim. For nearly two years, there have been ongoing worries that the diplomatic relations between the countries will fall apart if Washington fails to meet Pyongyang's year-end deadline to offer another initiative to settle the standoff over nuclear programme of the North. Kim reportedly wants a deal that provides relief from the sanctions against the country by the US in return for disarmament moves which according to the critics will come slowly. The negotiations are still halted and North Korea is increasing pressure on Washington to lift the international sanctions and abandon the 'hostile policies' against the North.

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(With AP inputs)