Reported coastal artillery drills by North Korea over the weekend represent a violation of an inter-Korean military agreement signed last year, South Korea's government said Monday, urging Pyongyang to comply with the terms of that accord and immediately halt provocative military action.

In comments that follow DPRK state media reports earlier in the day that a coastal artillery company of the Korean People's Army (KPA) had conducted live-fire drills near the inter-Korean maritime border on Changrin Island, Seoul's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said it “expressed regret” at the move.