S.Korea accuses North of violating 2018 accord after it launches ballistic missile

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Friday that North Korea's latest pre-dawn missile launch and artillery fire into "buffer zones" violated the 2018 agreement.

Yoon remarks came hours after North Korea fired another short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) into the East Sea at 1:49 a.m. Friday (1649GMT Thursday) and fired 170 artillery shots into maritime “buffer zones.”

"We're looking into everything one by one, but it's correct that it's a violation of the Sept. 19 accord," Yoon was quoted by Yonhap News Agency as saying.

Yoon was referring to a 2018 agreement between the two countries, which created buffer zones along land and sea boundaries and no-fly zones above the border.

"We're building a readiness posture against North Korea's provocations without leaving any gaps and by doing our best," he added.

Earlier, the South Korean military claimed that warplanes from Pyongyang also flew near the border with South Korea.