The President of South Korea canceled the garbage collection meeting, returned to the emergency meeting of the North Korean missile launch

President Yoon Suk Yeol rushed to his office for an emergency meeting after North Korea launched a missile – Photo: Yonhap

“These things must be strengthened immediately,” emphasized President Yoon after listing out a series of tasks for the army Korea including maintaining combat readiness, expanding the deterrence capacity of the US-Korea coalition and military posture.

According to Reuters news agency, North Korea’s missile launch was completely unexpected. Mr. Yoon plans to participate in volunteer activities to pick up trash on the banks of the Han River in the morning of 5-6.

However, the South Korean leader canceled the plan at the last minute and returned to the emergency room to meet with security officials after Pyongyang launched a missile.

President Yoon’s order made observers worry that tensions on the Korean peninsula would escalate in the near future.

President Yoon has a hardline stance towards the North, even vowing to strike first at North Korea’s nuclear facilities.

At the end of last month, in response to Pyongyang’s missile tests, Seoul showed off its military might with a joint missile launch with the United States and mobilized its most advanced fighter jets for drills.

In the morning launch of 5-6, according to the South Korean military, North Korea fired a total of 8 short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) into the Sea of ​​Japan (also known as the East Sea in South Korea) in a period of 35 minutes. .

These missiles fly from 100km to more than 600km, reaching altitudes from 25-90km. According to Michael Duitsman, of the US-based James Martin Center for Non-Proliferation Studies (CNS), this is North Korea’s most ballistic missile launch ever.

The US Indo-Pacific Command criticized North Korea’s test launch, describing it as a move to destabilize the region. The incident took place just a day after the US – South Korea ended a rare naval exercise with the participation of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

From Tokyo on the same morning of June 5, Japanese Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo called Pyongyang’s move “tolerable”.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio made a similar statement and declined to answer when asked if the missiles had fallen into Japan’s claimed exclusive economic zone.

North Korean state media has not yet commented. Normally, Pyongyang only publicly confirms a day after the incident and provides detailed pictures, information about the launch and participants.