Anchor: The Marine Corps on Wednesday held a full-scale live-fire exercise on islands near the western inter-Korean maritime border, the first in seven years. The resumption of the drills comes after South Korea suspended the 2018 inter-Korean tension reduction accord earlier this month amid heightening tensions between the two Koreas.  
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: The Marines fired nearly 300 rounds from key weapons, including K9 howitzers, the Chunmoo multiple launch rocket system, as well as Spike missiles and Bigung guided rockets.

The drills on the Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong islands in the Yellow Sea marked the full resumption of live-fire artillery training near the western maritime border -- the first in seven years. 

The military had suspended live-fire exercises near the maritime border after the two Koreas signed the Comprehensive Military Agreement(CMA) in 2018, under which all military drills were prohibited near border areas. 

The military in January had fired K9 howitzers from the western islands in an immediate response to North Korea's live-fire drills in the area.

Wednesday's drill, however, marks the first time such exercises officially resumed after the South suspended the inter-Korean military agreement earlier this month, according to the Marine Corps.  

Seoul decided to suspend the inter-Korean military agreement in response to North Korea's trash balloons and ballistic missile activities.

Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea fired what is presumed to be a hypersonic missile after releasing hundreds of trash-carrying balloons to South Korea the previous night.  
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.