South Korea kicked off live-fire artillery exercises near the inter-Korean border on Wednesday, despite new President Lee Jae-myung’s campaign pledge to restore a military accord with North Korea that forbade such drills.

The live-fire drills are reportedly taking place from Wednesday to Thursday at the Seven Stars Firing Range in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, located approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The exercises mark a continuation of expanded military activity in the border region following Seoul’s suspension of the Sept. 2018 inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA) in June 2024.

“The military is carrying out