Key Takeaways:
- The provocation comes ahead of the Vigilant Storm air drills between the US and South Korea.
- The US has pledged to defend South Korea against North Korean threats
YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Friday amid warnings of a possible military escalation involving nuclear weapons. The development comes ahead of the Vigilant Storm air drills next week between the United States and South Korean.
According to local media reports, South Korea’s armed forces detected the two launches from the Tongchon area of North Korea’s eastern coastal region. The launch site is located around 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the border between the two Korean nations.
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) condemned the North Korean threats. He further termed the missile launches a violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions banning any ballistic activities by North Korea.
“The North’s ballistic missile launches this time are acts of significant provocation that undermine peace and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the international community,”
the statement asserted.
The country’s JCS also alleged that the missiles flew about 230 kilometers (140 miles) at a maximum altitude of 24 kilometers (15 miles).
The recent test comes just days after North Korea fired artillery shells amid South Korea’s annual defense drills.
Recommended: North Korea Fires Ballistic Missiles After the US Wraps Up Drills With South Korea
US to conduct Vigilant Storm air drills with South Korea
Starting Monday next week, The United States is set to conduct Vigilant Storm air drills jointly with the South Korean military. According to reports, Australia’s Air Force will also join the exercise with its KC-30A tanker transport.
During the Vigilant Storm air drills, the US and South Korea will deploy around 240 military assets. These include fighter aircraft, army jets, and refueling tankers, among others.
“The Air Forces of South Korea and the U.S. plan to hone wartime operational procedures and enhance sustained operational capabilities by conducting around the clock key air operations, such as a strike package flight, the provision of air defense and emergency air interdiction,”
South Korea’s Air Force said in a press release.
The exercise comes amid an imminent possibility of a North Korea-South Korea war. Kim Jong-un, the North’s dictator, has accelerated his country’s nuclear weapon tests amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
US to support South Korea against North Korea threats
Meanwhile, the US Indo-Pacific Command has analyzed the recent missile launches. According to a brief statement, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea poses no direct threat to US territory.
However, it reiterated the commitment of the United States to defend its allies against threats from Kim Jong-Un’s dictatorship.
“The missile launches highlight the destabilizing impact of the DPRK’s unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs. The U.S. commitments to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain ironclad,”
the statement read.
The US Nuclear Posture Review also warned that any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its Allies will result at the end of Kim Jong-un’s regime.
With the North Korean threat now imminent, it remains to be seen if next week’s Vigilant Storm air drills will deter Pyongyang.
