Deadly threat to South Korea

(CNN) — North Korea on Thursday showed off its long-range artillery systems, tens of thousands of weapons it could use to attack South Korea without warning, and could cause thousands of casualties, according to experts.

The North Korean artillery exercises come at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, as the United States and South Korea conduct their annual Freedom Shield drills, which the South Korean military says will focus on deterring Korean nuclear threats from the North.

North Korea’s defense ministry on Monday condemned the 11-day joint drills between the United States and South Korea as “provocative” and “reckless” and warned that North Korean forces would monitor “adventurous acts” and carry out “activities”. Responsible military” to bring the volatile security situation under control, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Thursday’s artillery exercise was North Korea’s second this week, a day after its ground forces infiltrated border guard posts during a drill.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched both drills and appeared in images released by state media.

A KCNA report on Friday said the artillery drill sent a message to South Korea.

“The exercise began with a power demonstration firing of long-range artillery subunits near the border that put the enemy’s capital in their attack range and completed important military missions for war prevention,” a report from KCNA said.

Kim “stressed the importance of preparing for regular combat mobilization so that all artillery subunits can take the initiative with swift and ruthless attacks upon their entry into the actual battle,” according to the report.

An ever-present threat to South Korea

North Korean artillery systems have been in the headlines in recent weeks, as Pyongyang is equipping Russian forces with them to fight in Ukraine.

Since August, Pyongyang has sent about 6,700 containers to Russia, which can contain more than 3 million artillery shells or more than 500,000 multiple rocket launcher shells, according to South Korea’s defense ministry.

While those weapons pose a major challenge to Ukraine’s defenders, they are also an ever-present threat to South Korea and US military forces stationed on the Korean Peninsula.

Experts say it is almost impossible to defend against artillery attacks.

RAND Corp. A 2020 report by the think tank stated that North Korean artillery systems, with about 6,000 large weapons within range of major South Korean population centers, pose a major threat to South Korea. Such as Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile programs.

“If fired at civilian targets, those nearly 6,000 systems could kill more than 10,000 people in just one hour,” says the RAND report.

In one scenario, a one-minute bombardment of a 2.4 square kilometer area of ​​the capital Seoul, using only 54 multiple rocket launchers, would cause more than 10,000 casualties, according to forecasts.

“Because (North Korea’s) bombing can kill tens of thousands of people in just one hour, without warning, it will be difficult for the ROK and the United States, once the bombing begins, to stop it or otherwise protect its population. The Republic of Korea, before it does too much serious damage,” the report says.

A retaliatory strike by South Korea and even the United States would be difficult to execute, the report said.

“The majority of DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) artillery is located in heavily fortified reinforced artillery sites with air defense capabilities deployed to their rear. These physical defense measures make air strikes and counterbattery fire against DPRK artillery challenging for US and ROK forces,” the report said.

Kim has taken an increasingly tough line against South Korea in recent months, saying North Korea will no longer seek reconciliation and reunification with South Korea and instructing the country’s military, weapons industry, nuclear weapons and civil defense sectors to step up war preparations in response. for “combatant movements” by the United States.

In January, Kim called South Korea North Korea’s “main enemy and immutable main enemy” and ordered the demolition of a reunification monument in the North Korean capital.