North Korea fired four short-range ballistic missiles today, according to the South Korean Ministry of Defense, which has just finished a joint military exercise with the United States.
Amid rising tensions in the region, the country led by Kim Jong-Un launched a series of missiles this week, amid concerns that North Korea will resume nuclear tests for the first time since 2017.
One of these launches even activated a warning in Japan for the population to seek shelter. But according to Japanese officials, the bullet did not fly over the country and landed in the Pacific Ocean.
Meanwhile, the South Koreans completed a six-day joint military exercise with the United States today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said in a statement that they were seeking further steps for the alliance to demonstrate “its determination and capabilities after repeated North Korean provocations”.
The international community condemned the launches
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida described the new series of North Korean fires as “unbearable”, while the South Korean National Security Council “strongly condemned” the fires after a meeting led by President Yoon Sukyeol.
The South Korean institution stressed that these actions violated UN sanctions against Pyongyang.
The United States condemned the launch of the intercontinental ballistic missile and spoke for additional sanctions against North Korea. In response to recent launches, the United States and South Korea have announced that they will extend military exercises, which will end this Friday.
On Wednesday, North Korea launched at least 23 missiles of different types in a single day, a record number for the Kim Jong-un regime. One of the artifacts fell into the waters just 57 kilometers off the east coast of South Korea, marking the first time in history a North Korean missile has crossed the maritime border between the two countries.
In response, South Korean warplanes fired at least three surface-to-air missiles at sea, including a US-made precision missile capable of hitting targets up to 270 kilometers away.
Pyongyang claims the firing was aimed at responding to major aerial maneuvers carried out by South Korea and the United States this week.
Tensions have continued in the region in recent years. At the end of September 2022, North Korea set a missile firing record by launching more than 30 ballistic missiles, including the Hwasong-12, the first intercontinental missile since 2017, on January 30.
*With Reuters and Deutsche Welle
source: Noticias
