<p>North Korea fired a series of artillery shots over the weekend, Seoul's military said, days after leader Kim Jong Un vowed to use "power for power" to defend the country's sovereignty.</p>.<p>The South Korean military detected "several flight trajectories" that is understood to be shot from North Korean artillery, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said late Sunday.</p>.<p>The suspected shots were fired between 8:07 am (2307 GMT) to 11:03 am Sunday morning, the JCS said, stressing Seoul maintains a firm military readiness in collaboration with treaty ally the United States.</p>.<p>Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency -- which typically reports on successful weapons tests 24 hours after the fact -- has not released information on Sunday's shots, nor on other recent missile launches.</p>.<p>The nuclear-armed North has carried out a blitz of sanctions-busting weapons tests this year, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at the full range for the first time since 2017.</p>.<p>Seoul's presidential national security officials held a meeting to discuss the artillery shots late Sunday, and reaffirmed the South's position of "responding calmly and sternly" to Pyongyang's provocations, the office said.</p>.<p>The presidential office added Seoul did not immediately release its findings on the suspected artillery fire on Sunday morning, as the shots were of a "traditional" type with relatively low altitude and short-range.</p>.<p>The latest volley of fire follows warnings from both Seoul and Washington that Kim's regime is preparing to carry out what would be its seventh nuclear test -- a move that US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said would provoke a "swift and forceful" response.</p>.<p>Kim last week announced plans to enhance the country's military power during a major three-day political conference that wrapped up on Friday.</p>.<p>South Korean Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup said on Sunday Seoul would "strengthen" its defence capabilities, as well as its security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo, to counter the nuclear threat from Pyongyang.</p>
<p>North Korea fired a series of artillery shots over the weekend, Seoul's military said, days after leader Kim Jong Un vowed to use "power for power" to defend the country's sovereignty.</p>.<p>The South Korean military detected "several flight trajectories" that is understood to be shot from North Korean artillery, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said late Sunday.</p>.<p>The suspected shots were fired between 8:07 am (2307 GMT) to 11:03 am Sunday morning, the JCS said, stressing Seoul maintains a firm military readiness in collaboration with treaty ally the United States.</p>.<p>Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency -- which typically reports on successful weapons tests 24 hours after the fact -- has not released information on Sunday's shots, nor on other recent missile launches.</p>.<p>The nuclear-armed North has carried out a blitz of sanctions-busting weapons tests this year, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at the full range for the first time since 2017.</p>.<p>Seoul's presidential national security officials held a meeting to discuss the artillery shots late Sunday, and reaffirmed the South's position of "responding calmly and sternly" to Pyongyang's provocations, the office said.</p>.<p>The presidential office added Seoul did not immediately release its findings on the suspected artillery fire on Sunday morning, as the shots were of a "traditional" type with relatively low altitude and short-range.</p>.<p>The latest volley of fire follows warnings from both Seoul and Washington that Kim's regime is preparing to carry out what would be its seventh nuclear test -- a move that US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said would provoke a "swift and forceful" response.</p>.<p>Kim last week announced plans to enhance the country's military power during a major three-day political conference that wrapped up on Friday.</p>.<p>South Korean Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup said on Sunday Seoul would "strengthen" its defence capabilities, as well as its security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo, to counter the nuclear threat from Pyongyang.</p>