North Korea Fires Short-Range Ballistic Missiles, Seoul Says Amid S Korea-US Joint Military Exercises
North Korea on Monday fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Monday in a new series of weapons tests. The launch comes as Seoul and Washington conducted a joint amphibious landing exercise.
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Monday in its flurry of weapons tests, said South Korea's military. The launch comes as Seoul and Washington are conducting a joint amphibious landing exercise and only days after they completed their largest joint military drills in five years.
All of these training sessions are seen as invasion drills by North Korea, which has frequently threatened to respond with "overwhelming" force, reported the news agency AFP.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea stated "Our military detected two short-range ballistic missiles fired from around Junghwa area in North Hwanghae province from 07:47 am (2247 GMT) towards the East Sea," while referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
It added, "Our military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance against additional launches while maintaining a full readiness posture through close cooperation between South Korea and the United States", as quoted by AFP.
The launch was also verified by the Japanese defence ministry and according to authorities quoted by Japanese media, both missiles are thought to have flown on an irregular trajectory before falling outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone.
North Korea Will Use Joint Drills As Justification For Missile Launches, Nuclear Test: Experts
The combined training between Seoul and Washington, according to North Korea's state media, was preparation for "occupying" the country, which called for "stronger war deterrents" including "the highly developed, multi-faceted and offensive nuclear attack capability."
In retaliation, Pyongyang has conducted military exercises of its own, launching its second intercontinental ballistic missile this year and testing a new nuclear-capable underwater drone.
Experts have predicted that North Korea will use the drills as a justification for further missile launches and maybe even a nuclear test.
According to the state media of North Korea, Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the recent "underwater nuclear attack drone" drill, which was held "to alert the enemy to an actual nuclear crisis".
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the weapon's purpose is to "stealthily infiltrate into operational waters and make a super-scale radioactive tsunami ... to destroy naval striker groups and major operational ports of the enemy."
Last week, Pyongyang fired strategic cruise missiles that were "tipped with a test warhead simulating a nuclear warhead", KCNA stated.
'Irreversible' Nuclear Power
North Korea's claims were questioned by analysts who claimed that they were not the same as a credible demonstration of capability.
But, they emphasised that Pyongyang was seeking to upgrade and diversify launch platforms rather than just continue to stockpile nuclear weapons.
In 2022, Pyongyang increased its nuclear threats and conducted a record-breaking number of weapons tests. As a result, security cooperation between Seoul and Washington has increased.
It also compelled Japan and South Korea to strive to resolve old differences and increase their security cooperation.
Kim has called for an "exponential" rise in weapon manufacturing, including tactical nuclear weapons, and North Korea last year declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power.
Last month, Kim also gave the command to the North Korean military to step up training in order to get ready for "actual war."
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