US and South Korean forces launched eight ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday in a show of force that matched the North Korean missile display a day earlier, sparking a provocative streak in weapons displays.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the allies’ live-fire exercises involved eight Army Tactical Missile System missiles in South Korea’s eastern waters over the course of 10 minutes.
It said the aim of the exercise was to demonstrate North Korean’s ability to respond rapidly and accurately to attacks.
The South’s military on Sunday detected North Korea firing eight short-range missiles in 35 minutes from at least four different locations, including the western and eastern coastal areas and two inland areas north of and near the capital Pyongyang, which appears to be one. Country’s one-day record for ballistic launches.
It was North Korea’s 18th round of missile tests in 2022 alone – a streak that included the country’s first launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles in nearly five years.
South Korean and US officials also say that North Korea is preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since September 2017 as leader Kim Jong Un strengthens the North’s position as a nuclear power and strengthens economic and security from a position of strength. are on the verge of negotiating concessions.
US and South Korean forces conducted a similar live-fire drill after North Korea’s previous ballistic launch on May 25, in which the South Korean military said an ICBM flown on a medium-range trajectory and two short-range weapons. were involved.
Those tests came as Biden ended his visits to South Korea and Japan, where he reaffirmed US commitment to protect both allies.
North Korean state media have yet to comment on Sunday’s launch. They came after the US aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan concluded a three-day naval exercise with South Korea in the Philippine Sea on Saturday, apparently their first joint exercise involving a carrier since November 2017, as the country continues its defense. Let’s move on to upgrade the exercises. About North Korean threats.
North Korea has long condemned the allies’ joint military exercises as attack rehearsals and often countered with missile exercises of its own, including short-range launches in 2016 and 2017, which were carried out by South Korea in Japan. Simulate nuclear attacks on ports and US military facilities.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said hours after the North Korean launch, Japan and the United States conducted a joint ballistic missile exercise aimed at showing their “rapid response capability” and “determination” to counter threats.
The United States has vowed to push for additional international sanctions if North Korea conducts a nuclear test, but with permanent members of the UN Security Council divided, the prospects for meaningful new punitive measures remain slim.
Russia and China on May 25 vetoed a US-sponsored resolution imposing additional sanctions on North Korea over its latest ballistic tests, insisting that Washington should focus on reviving talks with Pyongyang.
Those talks have been stalled since 2019 over disagreements in exchange for the release of US-led sanctions for the North’s disarmament steps.
Despite facing tough challenges at home, including a crashing economy and a COVID-19 outbreak, Kim has shown no desire to completely surrender what Arsenal sees as the strongest guarantee of his survival.
Experts say his government has so far rejected the Biden administration’s proposals for open-ended talks and clearly intends to turn passive denuclearization talks into a process of mutual arms reduction.