North Korea fires suspected ballistic missiles following joint U.S.-South Korea drill
Shafaq News/ North Korea fired suspected short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Friday, South Korea’s military reported, a day after South Korea and the United States conducted joint aerial exercises involving powerful fighter jets.
The drills, perceived as a major security threat by North Korea, have further heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that the missile launches occurred around 3:10 p.m. from the Wonsan region on North Korea’s east coast. In response, South Korea’s military has bolstered its surveillance posture and maintained readiness.
In recent months, North Korea has continued its weapons testing, aiming to expand and modernize its arsenal amid stalled diplomacy with the United States and South Korea.
Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed the testing of 600 mm "super-large" multiple rocket launchers and 240 mm multiple-launch rockets.
State media reported that Kim also visited production facilities, emphasizing the country's need to enhance its nuclear and missile programs to counter U.S.-led hostilities.
North Korea often cites expanded U.S.-South Korean military training, which it deems invasion rehearsals, as justification for its actions.
On Thursday, two South Korean F-35As and two U.S. F-22 Raptors participated in combined aerial exercises over South Korea’s central region.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated since North Korea scrapped a 2018 agreement aimed at reducing tensions near the military border established by the truce that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. The North has since labeled South Korea as "enemy No. 1."
Earlier on Friday, Kim Jong Un’s sister, senior official Kim Yo Jong, stated that North Korea’s recent weapons tests are part of a five-year arms buildup plan initiated in 2021.
She asserted that the tested weapons were intended to target Seoul, South Korea's capital, and dismissed outside speculation that the tests were meant to showcase weapons for export to Russia.
“We don’t conceal the fact that such weapons will be used to prevent Seoul from inventing any idle thinking,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state media.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff condemned the missile launch as a provocation, noting that the projectiles were fired from Wonsan and traveled about 300 km before landing in the sea.
In response, South Korea’s Unification Ministry, responsible for handling North Korean affairs, affirmed its readiness to counter any military threats from North Korea, in conjunction with its military alliance with the United States. Deputy ministry spokesperson Kim Inae also demanded an immediate halt to any "illegal" arms deals between North Korea and Russia.
