North Korea Missile Tests: South Korea and US shoot down missiles

South Korea and the United States have launched short-range missiles in response to the North Korean military’s repeated missile launches. The missiles fell into the Sea of ​​Japan.

South Korea and the United States fired eight missiles from South Korea’s east coast early Monday. South Korean news agency “Yonhap” reported on Monday that this was a reaction to North Korea’s rocket launch on Sunday. The move was a “demonstration of the ability and willingness to conduct precision strikes against North Korean missile launch points or command centers there,” Yonhap said, citing the South Korean military.

Accordingly, since 4:45 a.m. on Monday, South Korean and US forces have launched eight surface-to-air missiles. A representative of South Korea’s defense ministry confirmed the report to Yonhap. North Korea on Sunday fired eight short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast.

Three days of military training

South Korea and the United States concluded a large-scale, three-day military exercise on Saturday that also included the participation of the US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. It was the first joint maneuver by the two allies since Yoon Suk-yeol, who has taken a hardline stance on Pyongyang, took office as South Korean leader last month. This is the first joint military exercise with an aircraft carrier since November 2017.

Pyongyang has repeatedly protested against the joint maneuvers and criticized them as a rehearsal for an invasion of North Korea. Before Sunday’s launch, North Korea had already conducted 23 missile tests since the start of the year. The US has been warning for weeks that North Korea could soon conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.