Seoul Claims Pyongyang Doubles Artillery Near South Korea

South Korean officials said that North Korea increased the number of its artillery near the demilitarized zone twofold, Yonhap reported.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — South Korean military officials said that North Korean (DPRK) army had doubled artillery near the demilitarized zone and de facto border between the rival Koreas, the Yonhap news agency reported Sunday.

No specific figures have so far been provided by the agency.

About 70 percent of all North Korean submarines went onto the sea, South Korea's YTN news channel reported.

The news came just a day the conflicting neighbors held the first round of high-level talks to reduce tensions that escalated earlier this week. Earlier in the day, local media reported that Seoul and Pyongyang would continue high-level talks later Sunday.

The tensions on the Korean peninsula escalated on Thursday, as North Korea reportedly fired shells at a South Korean military base across the demilitarized zone. Seoul was quick to retaliate with dozens of heavy artillery rounds.

The episode was the first major armed confrontation between the neighbors in five years, and came in the wake of Seoul’s resumed broadcasting of military propaganda over the border toward North Korea, a practice it gave up a decade ago. Under the North Korean ultimatum, Saturday was the last day for Seoul to terminate its broadcasting.