US and South Korea fire missiles into the sea in response to North Korea

The United States and South Korea fired ballistic missiles into the sea, matching North Korea’s launches.

The allied live-fire exercise included eight missiles from the Military Tactical Missile System.

According to the South Korean military, the launches were intended to show their ability to respond quickly and accurately to North Korean attacks.

The US and South Korean militaries launched eight ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday in a show of force equivalent to North Korean missile launches the day before, as part of a series of provocative weapons tests, The Associated Press reported.

The allies’ live-fire exercise included eight Military Tactical Missile System missiles, one American and seven South Korean, launched into eastern South Korean waters within 10 minutes of air and sea safety advisories being issued, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea and US forces stationed in the country.

US and South Korea launch ballistic missiles in response to North Korea

Photo: AP

The launches were intended to show the ability to respond quickly and accurately to North Korean attacks, according to the South Korean military. The South Korean military on Sunday detected eight North Korean short-range missiles launched within about 35 minutes from at least four different locations: areas on the east and west coasts and two inland points to the north and near the capital, Pyongyang. The display appeared to be a record for ballistic releases for the country, according to the AP.

It was North Korea’s 18th missile round in 2022, a streak that included its first ICBM launches in nearly five years. South Korean and US officials also say Pyongyang is preparing for its first nuclear test since September 2017 as its leader, Kim Jong Un, tries to cement his country’s status as a nuclear state and negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength. Filed Under: South Korea and US launch missile.

New war?

Photo: AP

US and South Korean forces conducted a similar live-fire exercise following North Korea’s previous ballistic launches on May 25, which the South Korean military said involved an intercontinental ballistic missile flown on a medium-range trajectory and two short-range weapons. Those tests came as Biden wrapped up his trip to South Korea and Japan, where he reaffirmed America’s commitment to defending both allies.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, during a speech marking the country’s Memorial Day on Monday, said his government would seek «fundamental and practical security capabilities» to counter North Korea’s growing nuclear weapons and missile threat. Filed Under: South Korea and US launch missile.

The US and South Korean governments are not afraid to «respond severely»

Photo: AP

«North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs have grown to the point where they are not only a threat to the Korean Peninsula, but also to Northeast Asia and world peace,» Yoon said at Seoul’s National Cemetery, stating his government would «sternly respond» to any kind of North Korean provocation. Yoon, a conservative who took office in May, vowed to strengthen the defense of the South along with its alliance with the United States.

His goals include improving missile strike and interception capabilities and resuming large-scale military exercises with the United States, which have been suspended or curtailed in recent years to create space for diplomacy with Pyongyang or due to Covid-19. Yoon’s dovish predecessor, Moon Jae-in, who had staked his five-year term on inter-Korean engagement, refrained from conducting missile counter-drills after North Korea resumed ballistic missile tests in 2019 after its diplomacy with the United States failed. Filed Under: South Korea and US launch missile.