Three North Korean self-propelled howitzers had their gun barrels pointed south near the Demilitarized Zone by Monday, raising concern among visitors at a South Korean observatory, Reuters reported.
The weapons could be seen from Aegibong observatory, roughly 1.4 kilometers from North Korea’s Kaephung county. Canadian tourist Hannah Robbins, 28, told Reuters she and her group were “a bit scared.”
Analysts identified the vehicles as M-1981 122 mm self-propelled howitzers, an older North Korean system they believe entered service in the late 1970s. Yang Uk, a military expert at Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said their maximum range is about 24 kilometers, enough to reach Gimpo. He said the placement appeared intended to attract attention and offered little added battlefield value.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Jang Do-young said Tuesday the weapons did not appear to be among systems Pyongyang had recently discussed as new.
A mine blast in September wounded three South Korean soldiers. Seoul has demanded that North Korea apologize, while Pyongyang has accused Seoul of inventing the incident. The two countries remain technically at war and have seen periodic tensions along the border.
Last Thursday, Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s sister, said the North would put anti-South Korean propaganda loudspeakers on standby along the entire border within days. She also said Pyongyang had prepared unspecified new measures. EconoTimes previously covered Kim’s earlier reaffirmation of North Korea’s border loudspeaker plan.
