North Korea launched more than 10 missiles and the South, which spoke of an “invasion” of its territory, retaliated
The two countries exchanged missile fire today: Pyongyang fired over ten missilesamong the three ballistic ones, with one landing near South Korean territorial waters, prompting Seoul to fire three surface-to-surface missiles in the direction of North Korean territorial waters and South Korean President Yun Seok-gil to talk of a North Korean “invasion” for the first time since the division of the peninsula.
A short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), which Seoul says was fired from North Korea, crossed the disputed notional maritime boundary line (known as the North Limit Line, or NLL).
The missile caused—rarely— activation of the air defense system on Ueleng Island, which warned residents to rush to underground shelters. The alarm came a while ago.
According to the South Korean military, this is “the first time since the division of the peninsula”, in other words since the Korean War (1950-1953), that a North Korean missile has landed so close to the country’s territorial waters.
Mr. Yun “stressed that today’s North Korean provocation was, in effect, an invasion of his country’s territory,” “for the first time since the division” of the Korean peninsula, according to a press release released by his Blue House services. .
The missile that fell closest to South Korea landed in a sea just 57 kilometers east of the mainland, the National Defense General Staff in Seoul said, calling the launch “highly unusual and unacceptable”.
“We declare that our army will retaliate decisively,” he said.
Moments later, Seoul announced that three surface-to-surface missiles had been fired in the direction of the sea area north of the border line, not far from the sea area where the North Korean SRBM landed.
First, the staff spoke of a ballistic missile launch of “unknown type”, then of “three” SRBMs, before announcing that “more than 10 missiles of various types were fired to the east and west”.
President Yun convened a meeting of the presidency’s national security council over the launches, which analysts say are the most “aggressive and threatening” in years. Furthermore, the conservative head of state ordered a “quick reaction” to Pyongyang’s new “provocations”, North Korea to pay a “heavy price”.
Japan confirmed the North Korean missile launches, with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida telling reporters he would convene his government’s national security council “as soon as possible.”
Vigilante Storm
Seoul and Washington have been conducting the largest joint air drills in their history since Monday, an exercise dubbed Vigilant Storm, with the participation of hundreds of fighters and bombers from the two countries.
Park Jong-chon, a field marshal and secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, described the drills as aggressive and provocative, according to the North’s official press.
He pointed out that the name of these high schools refers to Operation Desert Storm, or in other words the invasion of Iraq by the Americans and their allies in 1991, after the occupation of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein’s army.
“If the US and South Korea attempt to use their militaries” against North Korea, “the special means (…) will fulfill their strategic mission without delay,” Mr. Park said, according to the North’s state-run KCNA news agency, “will pay the most horrific price in history.”
“Aggressive and threatening”
Today’s weapons tests by Pyongyang are “the most aggressive and threatening show (of force)” directed at Seoul “since 2010,” Chong Song-chang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute, told AFP.
The situation on the Korean peninsula is “dangerous and unstable” and “could lead to ‘armed conflicts,'” he warned.
In March 2010, a North Korean submarine, according to Seoul, torpedoed the Cheonan corvette, killing 46 Navy personnel, 16 of whom were serving their mandatory military service in South Korea.
In November of the same year, North Korea was accused by Seoul of shelling an island on the border with South Korea, causing the death of two young soldiers.
Today’s series of launches comes on top of North Korea’s record weapons tests and nuclear drills this year, while Washington and Seoul have warned for months that it is preparing for another nuclear test, its seventh in history. her.
“As far as I can remember, North Korea had never made such a provocation while South Korea and the US held joint high schools,” noted university professor Park Won-gon. “Pyongyang seems to have reached the highest (level of) deterrent power. This is a serious threat,” he said, adding that he also appeared to be “confident about his nuclear weapons capabilities.”
RES-EMP
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
