প্রকাশ: 06/06/2022
South Korea and the
United States said they fired eight surface-to-surface missiles early on Monday
off South Korea's east coast, responding to a barrageof short-range ballistic
missiles launched by North Korea on Sunday.
The action is a demonstration of "the capability and
readiness to carry out precision strikes" against the source of North
Korea's missile launches or the command and support centres, South Korea's
Yonhap news agency cited the South Korean military as saying.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office last
month, has vowed to take a tougher line against the North and agreed with US
President Joe Biden at a May summit in Seoul to upgrade joint military drills
and their combined deterrence posture.
North Korea has conducted a flurry of missile launches this
year and Yoon said its missile and nuclear weapons programmes have reached a
level at which they pose a threat to regional and world peace.
The South "will continue to build fundamental and
practical security capabilities and deter the North's nuclear and missile
threats," Yoon said at an event for South Korea's Memorial Day.
The militaries of South Korea and the United States fired
eight surface-to-surface missiles over about 10 minutes starting at 4:45 a.m.
on Monday (1945 GMT Sunday) in response to the eight missiles fired by the
North on Sunday, Yonhap reported.
An official from South Korea's Defence Ministry confirmed
eight Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) had been fired.
US Indo-Pacific Command said the exercise included one US
Army missile and seven from South Korea.
"The ROK-US Alliance remains committed to peace and
prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific," it
said in a statement, using the initials of South Korea's official name.
Reciprocal exercises
North Korea's short-range ballistic missiles, fired toward
the sea off its east coast on Sunday, were probably its largest single test and
came a day after South Korea and the United States ended joint military
drills.
The South Korea-US bilateral exercises involved an American
aircraft carrier for the first time in more than four years.
Japan and the United States also conducted a joint military
exercise on Sunday in response to the latest North Korea missile tests.
North Korea, which is several weeks into battling its first
known outbreak of COVID-19, has criticised previous joint drills as an example
of Washington's continued "hostile policies" toward Pyongyang,
despite its talk of diplomacy.
Yonhap, citing an unidentified source, said the North's
volley on Sunday was launched from four locations, including Sunan in the
capital, Pyongyang.
Leif-Eric Easley, an international studies professor at Ewha
University in Seoul said South Korea's current missile defences are insufficient
against the expanding North Korean threat.
"This calls not only for further investments in
hardware but also a more multilayered approach coordinated with Japan and
diplomatic efforts with Beijing to reduce arms race dynamics with
Pyongyang."
North Korea continued with its recent trend of not reporting
on missile launches in state media, which some analysts have said is meant to
show the tests are part of routine military drills.
Washington and Seoul officials also recently warned North
Korea appeared ready to resume nuclear weapons tests for the first time since
2017.
Last month, North Korea fired three missiles, including one
thought to be its largest ICBM, the Hwasong-17, after Biden ended an Asia trip
where he agreed to new measures to deter the nuclear-armed state.
Joint South Korean and US forces fired missiles in response
to those tests too, which the two allies say are violations of UN Security
Council resolutions.
Last month, the United States called for more UN sanctions
on North Korea over its ballistic missile launches, but China and Russia vetoed
the suggestion, publicly splitting the UN Security Council on North Korea for
the first time since it started punishing it in 2006, when North Korea
conducted its first nuclear test.
- Reuters
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