SEOUL, January 5. /TASS/. Firing drills of the North Korean military did not have an effect for South Korean islands of Paekryong and Yonphyong, the Korean Central News Agency said, citing the statement of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA).

The direction of combat munitions firing "doesn't give even an indirect effect on Paekryong and Yonphyong islands," the statement reads. Forty-seven artillery pieces of coastal defense units took part in the exercise and 192 shells were fired. The firing practice took place from 09:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. local time (03:00-05:00 a.m. Moscow time or 00:00-02:00 a.m. GMT).

The South Korean side attempts to shuffle off the responsibility for aggravation of the situation, the KPA General Staff said. It was noted that North Korea staged its exercises in response to maneuvers of South Korea taking place from the year-start.