South Korea conducts missile firing drills right after North Korea’s move

According to Independent, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff today (March 24) announced that it had held a synergistic live-fire exercise between many forces in the east seas of the country, just hours after the North The first test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with an unprecedented high altitude.

Weapons deployed by South Korea in the exercise include the Hyunmoo-2 ground-launched tactical ballistic missile and the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), Haesung-II sea-to-surface missile and two JDAM guided bombs are dropped from aircraft.

One of the missile tests is believed to have been conducted by North Korea earlier this year. Photo: AP

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that the operation confirmed that South Korea “has the ability to accurately strike the missile launch site, as well as the North’s command and support infrastructure, at any time.” “.

South Korean President Moon Jae In had earlier convened an emergency meeting with South Korea’s National Security Council, and confirmed North Korea had launched an ICBM. This is the first time Pyongyang has launched such a powerful weapon since 2017.

South Korea’s Deputy National Security Adviser Suh Choo Suk condemned the missile launch as “a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and overturned the ban on ICBM launches that North Korea had promised to the international community.” economic”.

According to South Korean officials, the North Korean ICBM was launched from a site near Sunan airport in the capital Pyongyang, and crashed in waters about 170km west of Japan’s northern Aomori prefecture, inside the exclusive zone. economy of Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio condemned North Korea’s missile launch “threatening the peace and safety of Japan as well as the region and the international community”. “This is an outrageous and unacceptable act,” the Japanese leader said while in Brussels (Belgium), where he will meet leaders of the G7 countries today.

Japanese defense officials estimate the ballistic missile this time flew at an altitude of more than 6,000km, much higher than the Hwasong-15 ICBM launched by North Korea in November 2017. In addition, this missile has a range of up to 1,100km, which means it can theoretically reach the US.

The latest ICBM test is North Korea’s 13th weapons test since the beginning of the year so far.

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