Nuclear-armed North Korea fired ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years on Tuesday, prompting Tokyo to issue evacuation warnings for some residents
\nSEOUL
\nThe South Korean and US militaries fired a volley of missiles into the sea in response to North Korea firing a ballistic missile over Japan, Seoul said Wednesday, as global condemnation mounted over Pyongyang\u2019s likely longest-ever test.
\nNuclear-armed North Korea fired an Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) over Japan for the first time in five years on Tuesday, prompting Tokyo to issue evacuation warnings for some residents.
\nSouth Korea and the United States staged a drill of their own in response, firing ground-to-ground missiles into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, Seoul\u2019s military said.
\nBoth militaries fired two ATACMS short-range ballistic missiles into the water \u201cto precisely strike a virtual target,\u201d the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
\nThe military also confirmed that a South Korean missile failed soon after it was launched and crashed, without causing any casualties.
\nSouth Korean and US fighter jets had carried out a bombing drill at a virtual target in the Yellow Sea on Tuesday.
\nThe joint drills aim to \u201cmake sure that we have the military capabilities at the ready to respond to provocations by the North if it comes to that,\u201d US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told CNN.
\nSouth Korea\u2019s military also announced Wednesday that the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier would return to the area, having already conducted joint drills with Seoul\u2019s navy last month.
\nPyongyang\u2019s Tuesday launch is part of a record year of sanctions-busting weapons tests by the isolated regime, which recently revised its nuclear laws, with leader Kim Jong Un declaring his country an \u201cirreversible\u201d nuclear power.
\nUS President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida decried the launch \u201cin the strongest terms\u201d while South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called it a \u201cprovocation\u201d.
\nThe United Nations Security Council was set to meet on Wednesday to discuss the matter.
\nThe IRBM flew about 4,600 km (2,900 miles), Seoul and Tokyo said, likely the longest-ever distance for a North Korean test, which are typically fired on a \u201clofted\u201d trajectory to avoid flying over neighbouring countries.
\nOfficials and experts said it was likely a Hwasong-12 IRBM, a nuclear-capable missile that North Korea likely first tested in 2017, which has a range that could put US bases on Guam within reach.
\nNorth Korea has not commented on the launch in state media.<\/p>\n
\u2018Ridicule\u2019 response
\n\u201cRegardless of today\u2019s missile launch by the US and South Korean military, North Korea\u2019s plan to carry out its next nuclear test will not change,\u201d Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, told AFP.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s likely that Pyongyang\u2019s going to ridicule today\u2019s missile launch — especially since one of the launches failed — and proceed with their next nuclear test, given the law changes they made on the nuclear use in September.\u201d
\nThe Tuesday test was Pyongyang\u2019s fifth missile launch in 10 days.
\nThe spate of launches comes as Seoul, Tokyo and Washington have been ramping up joint military drills to counter Pyongyang\u2019s growing threats, staging the first trilateral anti-submarine drills in five years on Friday.
\nThat came just days after the US and South Korean navies conducted large-scale exercises.
\nSuch drills infuriate North Korea, which sees them as rehearsals for an invasion.
\nUS Vice President Kamala Harris visited Seoul last week and toured the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean peninsula, on a trip to underscore her country\u2019s commitment to South Korea\u2019s defence.
\nAbout 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea to help protect it from the North.
\nPyongyang has tested nuclear weapons six times since 2006, most recently in 2017.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nuclear-armed North Korea fired ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years on Tuesday, prompting Tokyo to issue evacuation warnings for some residents SEOUL The South Korean and US militaries fired a volley of missiles into the sea in response to North Korea firing a ballistic missile over Japan, Seoul said Wednesday, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":287672,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-287658","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n