South Korea, U.S. fire 8 missiles in response to North Korea missile test – National

South Korea and america fired eight surface-to-surface missiles early on Monday off South Korea’s east coast after North Korea launched a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles on Sunday, a South Korea protection ministry official mentioned.

The motion is an indication of “the aptitude and readiness to hold out precision strike” in opposition to the supply of North Korea’s missile launches or the command and help facilities, South Korea’s Yonhap information company cited the South Korean navy as saying.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took workplace final month, has vowed to take a harder line in opposition to the North and agreed with U.S. President Joe Biden at a Might summit in Seoul to improve joint navy drills and their mixed deterrence posture.

The militaries of South Korea and america fired eight surface-to-surface missiles over about 10 minutes beginning at 4:45 a.m. on Monday (1945 GMT Sunday) in response to the eight missiles fired by the North on Sunday, Yonhap reported.

An official from South Korea’s Defence Ministry confirmed eight Military Tactical Missile Programs (ATACMS) had been fired.

North Korea’s short-range ballistic missiles, fired towards the ocean off its east coast on Sunday, have been in all probability its largest single check and got here a day after South Korea and america ended joint navy drills.

The South Korea-U.S. bilateral workouts concerned an American plane service for the primary time in additional than 4 years.

Japan and america additionally performed a joint navy train on Sunday in response to the most recent North Korea missile exams.

North Korea, which is a number of weeks into battling its first identified outbreak of COVID-19, has criticized earlier joint drills for example of Washington’s continued “hostile insurance policies” towards Pyongyang, regardless of its speak of diplomacy.

North Korea has performed a flurry of missile launches this 12 months, from hypersonic weapons to exams of its largest intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the primary time in almost 5 years.

Yonhap, citing an unidentified supply, mentioned the North’s volley on Sunday was launched from 4 areas, together with Sunan within the capital, Pyongyang.

North Korea continued with its latest pattern of not reporting on missile launches in state media, which some analysts have mentioned is supposed to point out that they’re doing it as a part of routine navy drills.

Washington and Seoul officers additionally not too long ago warned that North Korea appeared able to resume nuclear weapons exams for the primary time since 2017.

Final month, North Korea fired three missiles, together with one considered its largest ICBM, the Hwasong-17, after Biden ended an Asia journey the place he agreed to new measures to discourage the nuclear-armed state. Learn full story

The mixed forces of South Korea and america fired missiles in response to these exams too, which the 2 allies say are violations of U.N. Safety Council resolutions.

Final month, america referred to as for extra U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its ballistic missile launches, however China and Russia vetoed the suggestion, publicly splitting the U.N. Safety Council on North Korea for the primary time because it began punishing it in 2006, when North Korea performed its first nuclear check.

(Reporting by Jack Kim and Choi Soo-hyang in Seoul; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Modifying by Tom Hogue, Neil Fullick and Gerry Doyle)