SEOUL, December 5. /TASS/. North Korea fired about 130 artillery shells into eastern and western maritime buffer zones on Monday, the Yonhap news agency reported on Monday, citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

According to the news outlet, the South Korean military detected artillery firings, thought to involve multiple rocket launchers, from Kangwon Province towards the Sea of Japan and from South Hwanghae Province towards the Yellow Sea at 2:59 pm.

According to Seoul, the firings violate an inter-Korean agreement dated September 19, 2018.

The shells reportedly fell north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), which South Korea views as the actual sea border.

"We call on the North to end such actions," the South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding that Seoul, together with the United States, was keeping an eye on North Korea’s activities, stepping up its preparedness. Yonhap noted that the authorities of South Korea’s Cheorwon County published an army announcement that live-fire drills involving multiple rocket launchers were expected to take place Monday through Wednesday.

Last week, South Korea, the United States and Japan imposed additional sanctions on entities and individuals linked to North Korea.