A K30 Biho anti-aircraft vehicle fires live rounds during three-day live-fire air defense drills that began on April 30, 2025, in Goseong County, about 160 kilometers northeast of Seoul, in this photo providedon Friday. (Korean Army)
A K30 Biho anti-aircraft vehicle fires live rounds during three-day live-fire air defense drills that began on April 30, 2025, in Goseong County, about 160 kilometers northeast of Seoul, in this photo providedon Friday. (Korean Army)

South Korean soldiers conducted live-fire air defense drills near the inter-Korean border this week as part of efforts to maintain readiness against North Korean drone threats, the Army said Friday.

The three-day exercise began Wednesday in a coastal area in the border county of Goseong, about 160 kilometers northeast of Seoul, involving some 130 troops and eight anti-aircraft vehicles, including the K30 Biho and the K30W Chunho, according to the Army.

The drills took place with a focus on detecting and intercepting aerial targets simulating North Korean drones, with troops firing some 600 rounds per minute from the anti-aircraft system's 30 millimeter guns to take them down.

The military has recently focused on bolstering counter-drone capabilities after five North Korean drones crossed the border into South Korea in December 2022. It failed to intercept any of them, including one that entered Seoul's airspace. (Yonhap)