South Korea responds to North's provocations with live-fire missile drill

South Korea responds to North's provocations with live-fire missile drill
by Thomas Maresca
Washington DC (UPI) Nov 8, 2024

South Korea fired a short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile into the Yellow Sea in response to North Korea's recent series of missile launches, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday.

The South's Missile Strategy Command launched a Hyunmoo-2 missile from the western coastal county of Taean on Thursday, the JCS said in a message to reporters. The missile flew approximately 125 miles and hit a virtual target in the sea.

The drill was a simulated response meant to strike the launch site in the event of North Korea firing a ballistic missile.

"Through this live-fire exercise, our military demonstrated its strong will to resolutely respond to any provocation by North Korea and its ability and readiness to precisely strike the source of enemy provocation," the JCS said.

The military said it is closely monitoring North Korea's various military activities and is maintaining readiness to "overwhelmingly" respond to any provocation by North Korea.

On Tuesday, North Korea fired a salvo of short-range missiles into the East Sea hours before polls opened for the U.S. presidential election. The JCS said that the launch appeared to involve the North's 600mm multiple rocket launcher system.

The United States and South Korea refer to the 600mm rocket system as the KN-25 and characterize it as a short-range ballistic missile. North Korea has claimed since October 2022 that the weapon can be fitted with a tactical nuclear warhead.

The launches followed North Korea's test-firing of its new Hwasong-19 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile last week, which leader Kim Jong Un claimed has "matchless strategic nuclear attack capability."

The United States, South Korea and Japan staged a combined air drill in response to the North's ICBM launch. The trilateral exercise on Sunday mobilized a U.S. B-1B bomber and fighter jets from the allies over waters east of South Korea's Jeju Island.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of Kim Jong Un, later condemned the drill in state-run media, calling it "absolute proof of the validity and urgency of the line of building up the nuclear forces."

South Korea successfully test-fired its first homegrown Hyunmoo short-range ballistic missile in 1986. Last month, Seoul unveiled the Hyunmoo-5 "bunker buster" ballistic missile, which is capable of carrying a massive 8-ton warhead.

The weapons are part of South Korea's "three-axis system," a military strategy that includes "Kill Chain" preemptive strikes, air and missile defense systems and the incapacitation of North Korean leadership in the event of an imminent attack.