US, South Korea launch eight missiles in response to North Korea missile firings
- On Sunday, North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast a day after South Korea and the US ended joint military drills
- Last month, North Korea fired three missiles including one thought to be its largest ICBM, after Joe Biden ended a trip to Asia
The action is a demonstration of “the capability and readiness to carry out precision strike” against the source of North Korea’s missile launches or the command and support centres, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency cited the South Korean military as saying.
The militaries of South Korea and the United States fired eight surface-to-surface missiles over a period of about 10 minutes starting 4:45am on Monday (1945 GMT Sunday) in response to the eight missiles fired by the North on Sunday, Yonhap reported.
South Korea and US stage rare drills with aircraft carrier
An official from South Korea’s Defence Ministry confirmed eight Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) had been fired.
US Indo-Pacific Command said the exercise included one US Army missile and seven from South Korea.
“The ROK-U. S. Alliance remains committed to peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific. The US commitment to the defence of the ROK remains ironclad,” it said in a statement, using the initials of South Korea’s official name.
North Korea’s short-range ballistic missiles, fired towards the sea off its east coast on Sunday, were likely its largest single test and came a day after South Korea and the United States ended joint military drills.
North Korea unleashes barrage of missiles in response to US military drills
The South Korea-US bilateral exercises involved an American aircraft carrier for the first time in more than four years.
Japan and the United States also conducted a joint military exercise on Sunday in response to the latest North Korea missile tests.
North Korea, which is several weeks into battling its first known outbreak of Covid-19, has criticised previous joint drills as an example of Washington’s continued “hostile policies” toward Pyongyang, despite its talk of diplomacy.
Yonhap, citing an unidentified source, said the North’s volley on Sunday was launched from four locations, including Sunan in the capital, Pyongyang.
North Korea continued with its recent trend of not reporting on missile launches in state media, which some analysts have said is meant to show that they are doing it as part of routine military drills.
Washington and Seoul officials also recently warned that North Korea appeared ready to resume nuclear weapons tests for the first time since 2017.
Last month, North Korea fired three missiles, including one thought to be its largest ICBM, the Hwasong-17, after Biden ended an Asia trip where he agreed to new measures to deter the nuclear-armed state.
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has closer ties to South Korea than he likes to admit
Last month, the United States called for more UN sanctions on North Korea over its ballistic missile launches, but China and Russia vetoed the suggestion, publicly splitting the UN Security Council on North Korea for the first time since it started punishing it in 2006, when North Korea conducted its first nuclear test
