South Korea’s military claimed on Wednesday that North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the northeastern sea area. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was fired late Wednesday from the North Korean capital region. The claim comes as the US, along with South Korea, has been training with long-range B1-B bombers on the Korean Peninsula in a show of strength against North Korea.
The South Korean military has strengthened its security in close coordination with the United States, the statement said. Japan’s Defense Ministry also said a suspected ballistic missile was fired from North Korea. North Korean state media said earlier this week that the country’s leader Kim Jong Un had called on the military to be ready to respond to any plans by rivals. North Korea has called the military exercise between the US and South Korea a provocative step.
North Korean army ready for war
North Korean state media said on Tuesday that leader Kim Jong Un has called on the military to be constantly prepared for war to thwart the invasion plans of his rivals. Also on Tuesday, South Korea, the US and Japan deployed their naval destroyers for missile defense drills off South Korea’s southern Jeju island. The US-led hostilities have destabilized the Korean Peninsula’s waters with the threat of nuclear war, Kim said in a speech on the country’s Navy Day on Monday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
North Korea has launched more than 100 missiles since 2022
North Korea has conducted more than 100 missile tests since early 2022, many of them nuclear-capable missiles designed to strike the US, South Korea and Japan. Many experts say that North Korea is using its increased military capabilities to demand more concessions from the US. North Korea’s testing spree has prompted the US and South Korea to expand their exercises by resuming trilateral exercises involving Japan.
