I predicted the North Koreans would conduct a short range missile test in response to the recent US and South Korean naval drills, but instead the North Koreans decided to conduct an artillery drill along with the recent kidnapping of the South Korean fishermen and the likely releasing of landmines down the Imjim River:

North Korea fired about 110 rounds of artillery Monday near its disputed sea border with South Korea, the South’s military said, amid high tension over the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on North Korea.

The firing came shortly after South Korea ended five-day naval drills off the west coast that the North called a rehearsal for an invasion, vowing to retaliate.

All the artillery shells harmlessly landed into the North’s waters and caused no damage to the South, a South Korean Joint Chief of Staff officer said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

South Korea considered the firing to be part of a military drill by North Korea but still bolstered its military readiness against further provocation, the officer said. The South also warned Pyongyang over the firing by naval radio, he said.

“This was their way of saying ‘We’ll respond to military drills with military drills,’” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at Seoul’s University of North Korean studies.

Yang said the firing is also aimed at highlighting the instability of the Korean peninsula to apply pressure on the United States to start talks on the signing of a peace treaty to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War. The conflict ended with an armistice, thus leaving the peninsula technically at state of war.  [Associated Press]

With more US & ROK naval exercises scheduled it will be interesting to see if the North Koreans up the stakes or not, but firing artillery into their own territorial waters isn’t something for people to get worked up about at this time.