North Korea has launched two ballistic missiles in protest of the joint military exercises conducted by the United States and South Korea.
This provocative action by North Korea is a clear violation of international law and poses a significant threat to regional stability.
The South Korean military said on Thursday that it is in resumption of its weapons testing activities to protest just-ended South Korean-US live-fire drills, which it views as an invasion rehearsal.
The North Korea launch is its first since it failed in an attempt to put its first spy satellite into orbit in late May.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea claimed to have discovered the North Korean launches on Thursday night from the country’s capital region. According to the report, South Korea’s military increased its surveillance posture and kept itself ready in close collaboration with the US military.
The North Korea launch is its first since it failed in an attempt to put its first spy satellite into orbit in late May.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the North Korean launches from its capital region on Thursday evening. It said South Korea’s military boosted its surveillance posture and maintains readiness in close coordination with the United States.
Japan’s Defense Ministry also stated that it detected a likely North Korean ballistic missile launch. The Japanese Coast Guard issued a warning to vessels in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, as well as the North Pacific seas, to beware falling items. There were no early reports of ship or aircraft damage.
The launch came hours after South Korean and US troops ended a fifth round of large-scale live-fire drills near the Koreas’ heavily fortified border earlier Thursday. About 30 minutes before the launch, North Korea’s military also vowed an unspecified response to its rivals’ drills, which it called “provocative and irresponsible.”
Tensions have risen in past months as the pace of both North Korean weapons tests and US-South Korea military exercises has increased in tit-for-tat responses.
North Korea has test-fired about 100 missiles since the start of 2022.
