Matching North’s launches, US, South Korea fire 8 ballistic missiles to sea

Seoul, June 6

The US and South Korean militaries launched eight ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday.

The allies’ live-fire exercise involved eight Army Tactical missiles ndash; one American and seven South Korean ndash; that were fired into South Korea’s eastern waters across 10 minutes following notifications for air and maritime safety, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and US Forces Korea.

The South Korean military said the tit-for-tat missile launches aimed to demonstrate the ability to respond swiftly and accurately to North Korean attacks.

On Sunday, the South’s military detected North Korea firing eight short-range missiles over 35 minutes from at least four different locations, including from the western and eastern coastal areas and near the capital, Pyongyang.

This was North Korea’s 18th round of missile tests in 2022 alone. The streak included the country’s first launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles in nearly five years.

The South Korean and the US officials said North Korea is preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since September 2017 as leader Kim Jong-un pushes brinkmanship to cement the North’s status.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, during a speech marking the country’s Memorial Day on Monday, said his government would pursue “fundamental and practical security capabilities” to counter North Korea’s growing nuclear weapons and missile threat.

“North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs have grown to a point where they are a threat to the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia and world peace,” Yoon said at the National Cemetery in Seoul.

Yoon has vowed to strengthen the South’s defence in conjunction with its alliance.

His goals include enhancing missile strike and interception capabilities and resuming large-scale military exercises with the United States, which were suspended in recent years to create space for diplomacy because of covid-19.

Hours after the North Korean launches, Japan and the United States conducted a joint ballistic missile exercise to show their “rapid response capability” and “strong determination” to counter threats, Japan’s Defence Ministry said.