South Korea and US fire four missiles after North Korean launch
One of four missiles fired by South Korea and the United States, October 5, 2022. via REUTERS - South Korean Defense Ministry
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South Korea and the United States launched four surface-to-surface missiles towards the Sea of Japan, the day after North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan, the agency said on Wednesday. South Korean Yonhap.
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South Korea and the United States launched four surface-to-surface missiles at targets at sea on Wednesday, the day after
Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile
that passed over Japan.
A North Korean intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) flew over Japan on Tuesday, a first in five years which led Tokyo to activate its warning system and ask residents of certain regions to take shelter.
According to the South Korean General Staff, the South Korean and American armies each fired two missiles at the Sea of Japan on Wednesday.
Both armies fired two ATACMS short-range ballistic missiles "
to accurately hit a virtual target,
" the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
These exercises "
showed that we are capable and ready to neutralize the origin of the provocation while maintaining a constant monitoring position
", he added in a press release.
The military also confirmed that a South Korean missile failed shortly after launch, crashing with no casualties.
On Tuesday, South Korean and American warplanes had already conducted precision strike exercises, according to Seoul, with the dropping of bombs on a virtual target in the Yellow Sea by two South Korean F-15K warplanes.
The spokesman for the American National Security Council John Kirby, interviewed by CNN, indicated that it was a question of "
responding to provocations from the North, to ensure that we can demonstrate our own capacities
" and "
to make sure that we have the military capabilities ready
”.
"
It doesn't have to come to that.
We have made it clear to Kim Jong-un that we are ready to sit down at the table without preconditions
,” he added.
North Korea, which has adopted a new doctrine making its status as a nuclear power "
irreversible
", stepped up its fire this year and launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time since 2017.
Tuesday's shooting was the fifth in ten days.
About 28,500 American soldiers are stationed in South Korea to help protect it from its neighbor.
(AFP)
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