North Korea unveils powerful artillery arsenal aimed at South Korea

North Korea displayed its long-range artillery systems on Thursday. Experts warn that these weapons could be used to strike the South with little warning, potentially causing tens of thousands of casualties.

The North's artillery drills coincided with heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula. The United States and South Korea are currently conducting their annual Freedom Shield exercise, with a focus on deterring North Korea's nuclear threats.

North Korea's Defense Ministry criticized the 11-day US-South Korea joint exercises as provocative and reckless. They warned that North Korean forces will be monitoring any "adventurist acts" and will conduct responsible military activities to address what they see as an unstable security situation, as reported by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The North conducted its second artillery exercise on Thursday, following a day where its ground forces seemed to infiltrate border guard posts during maneuvers.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed both drills and was seen in photos provided by state media.

Kim Jong Un inspects the artillery firing drill of the Korean People's Army (KPA) large combined units on March 7.

Kim Jong Un inspects the artillery firing drill of the Korean People's Army (KPA) large combined units on March 7.

KCNA

A report from KCNA on Friday stated that the artillery drill was intended to send a message to South Korea. The report mentioned that the drill began with a demonstration of power through firing long-range artillery sub-units near the border. These sub-units are capable of striking the enemy's capital and have carried out crucial military tasks for deterring war.

Kim emphasized the need to be ready for immediate action in case of war, ensuring that all artillery units can quickly and decisively strike the enemy. This highlights the constant threat of conflict.

North Korea has been in the news lately for supplying its artillery systems to Russian forces for use in Ukraine. Since August, approximately 6,700 containers have been sent to Russia by Pyongyang. These containers have the capacity to hold over 3 million rounds of artillery shells or more than 500,000 rounds for multiple rocket launchers, as reported by the South Korean Defense Ministry.

Those weapons pose a major challenge for Ukraine's defenders, as well as a constant threat for South Korea and the US military forces based on the Korean Peninsula. Artillery strikes, according to experts, are extremely difficult to defend against.

A report by the RAND Corp. in 2020 highlighted the threat posed by North Korea's artillery systems. With almost 6,000 big guns aimed at major South Korean population centers, these weapons are just as dangerous as Kim's nuclear and missile programs.

According to the report, if these artillery systems were to target civilian areas, they could potentially claim over 10,000 lives in just one hour.

In one scenario, a one-minute barrage on a 2.4-square-kilometer area of the capital Seoul using just 54 multiple rocket launchers, predicted more than 10,000 casualties.

North Korean artillery fires during large-scales exercises on March 7.

North Korean artillery fires during large-scales exercises on March 7.

KCNA

The report stated that North Korean shelling has the potential to cause mass casualties within a short period of time, posing a significant challenge for the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States to stop the attack and protect the ROK population effectively.

Additionally, the report highlighted that even retaliatory strikes by South Korea and the US would be challenging to carry out.

"According to the report, a large portion of the DPRK's artillery is situated in heavily fortified hardened artillery sites (HARTS) with air defense capabilities positioned behind them. These strong defensive measures pose challenges for U.S. and ROK forces when attempting air strikes or counter-battery fire against the DPRK artillery."

Kim Jong Un inspects artillery units of the Korean People's Army (KPA) during exercises on March 7.

Kim Jong Un inspects artillery units of the Korean People's Army (KPA) during exercises on March 7.

KCNA

Kim has become more rigid in his stance towards South Korea in the past few months. He stated that North Korea will no longer strive for peace and reunification with the South. Instead, he has directed the country's army, munitions industry, nuclear weapons, and civil defense sectors to speed up preparations for war in response to actions seen as hostile by the US.

In January, Kim referred to South Korea as North Korea's main adversary and constant enemy. He even ordered the destruction of a monument dedicated to reunification in the North Korean capital.

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