North Korea fires artillery into buffer area, Seoul cries foul

Pyongyang has dramatically ramped up missile launches and military exercises in recent weeks, as Seoul and Washington say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is close to conducting what would be his country's seventh nuclear test. Roughly 100 artillery shells were fired from South Hwanghae province into the West Sea around 12:30 pm (GMT 0330) Wednesday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, calling it a "clear violation" of the 2018 agreement.