North Korean leader orders artillery drill near disputed sea border with South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered an artillery firing drill near the disputed border in the sea off the western coast, state-run media reported Monday, prompting a protest from South Korea’s military.

Kim’s visit to the Changrin islet was a blow to President Moon Jae-in, who had hoped the North Korean leader would attend a special summit of Southeast Asian nations this week in the southern city of Busan.

Kim formally declined the invitation to the ASEAN meeting last week, saying “now is not the time” due to strained bilateral ties that have been a casualty of stalled nuclear talks with the United States.

The images of Kim surrounded by soldiers and examining a strategic map on a camouflaged observation post came amid rising tensions on the divided peninsula as nuclear talks with the United States show no public signs of revival.

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