North Korea fires 4 ballistic missiles as US and Seoul end drills

North Korea fired four short-range ballistic missiles into the Western Sea on Saturday, South Korean military sources said.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
05 November 2022 Saturday 04:30
10 Reads
North Korea fires 4 ballistic missiles as US and Seoul end drills

North Korea fired four short-range ballistic missiles into the Western Sea on Saturday, South Korean military sources said. This launch coincides with the end of the military exercises that South Korea and the United States have carried out for six days.

North Korea launched a series of missiles this week, including a failed intercontinental ballistic missile, drawing condemnation from the United States, South Korea and Japan, and prompting speculation that it may be preparing to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time. time since 2017.

This Saturday's releases between 11:31 and 11:59 a.m. m. (02:31-02:59 GMT) occur coinciding with the end of the military maneuvers carried out by the United States and South Korea, called "Storm Vigilante", which began on Monday.

The North Korean missiles flew about 130 km, reaching an altitude of about 20 km, according to South Korea.

The allied exercise involved some 240 military aircraft and two US B-1B strategic bombers, as well as four F-16 and four F-35A fighters, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

This is the first time the B-1B has deployed to US and South Korean exercises since 2017, demonstrating "the combined defense capabilities and determination of the ROK and the US to respond resolutely to any North Korean provocation, and the willingness of the United States to implement a strong commitment to extended deterrence," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

Pyongyang on Friday demanded that the United States and South Korea stop the air drills as a "provocation." South Korea's response was to send warplanes in response to 180 North Korean military flights near the shared border between the two countries, which, on paper, are still at war.

On Wednesday, North Korea fired a daily record 23 missiles, one of which landed off South Korea's coast for the first time, after Pyongyang threatened to crack down unless Washington halted allied air exercises with South Korea.

As the "eye for an eye" exchange continued throughout the week, Washington called a public meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Friday, where it accused Russia and China of providing "general protection" to North Korea against future attacks. Security Council actions.

A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman issued a statement late Friday warning that "sustained provocation must be followed by sustained counteraction."

In recent years, the Security Council has been divided on how to deal with North Korea. In May, China and Russia vetoed a US attempt to impose further UN sanctions in response to North Korea's missile launches.