NewsRescue
North Korea launched several cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea early Saturday morning, according to South Korea’s military. This follows Pyongyang’s nuclear strike practice and significant US-South Korean military exercises.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement reported by Yonhap news agency that the rockets were launched approximately 4 a.m. local time, but did not disclose any specifics on the type of missiles, their number, or their exact trajectory, citing ongoing analysis.
The South Korean military also stated that it is “strengthening its monitoring and vigilance” and keeping a “full readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States.”
Although the precise nature of the projectiles is unknown, Yonhap speculated that North Korea used Hwasal missiles, as Pyongyang claims.
The event occurred shortly after South Korea and the United States completed the Ulchi Freedom Shield 23 exercises, which concluded on August 31 and included at least one American B-1B nuclear-capable strategic bomber flying over the Korean Peninsula. The war simulations, according to US officials, were designed at bolstering the “combined defense posture” and “promoting security and stability in Northeast Asia.”
The launch also came after North Korea’s military practiced a nuclear assault on its southern neighbor in response to what it called “adventurous [and] aggressive war exercises.” Pyongyang also stated at the time that the exercise was carried out to send “a clear message to the enemies” and to remind them of North Korea’s “resolute punitive will and substantive retaliation capabilities.”
North Korea has regularly condemned joint US-South Korean drills, calling them as invasion rehearsals and evidence that Washington and Seoul are pursuing hostile policies. North Korea likewise claims that its nuclear weapons is purely for self-defense.
