North Korea fires suspected missiles following US-South Korea joint drill

NEW DELHI: North Korea launched suspected short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Friday, as reported by South Korea’s military. This came a day after South Korea and the United States conducted a joint aerial exercise with advanced fighter jets, which North Korea perceives as a significant security threat.
According to South Korea's joint chiefs of staff, the missiles were launched from the Wonsan region on North Korea's east coast.The missiles traveled approximately 300 kilometers (185 miles) before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed that a North Korean missile landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
South Korea's joint chiefs of staff described the missile launches as a provocation that threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula. They affirmed South Korea's readiness to counter potential aggressions by North Korea, in coordination with the United States.
North Korea has been conducting a series of weapons tests in recent months, aiming to expand and modernize its arsenal amid stalled diplomacy with the United States and South Korea. Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test firing of a new multiple rocket launch system, according to North Korean state media.
North Korea asserts that its nuclear and missile programs are necessary to counter US-led hostilities, citing expanded US-South Korean military training as a rehearsal for invasion.
Foreign experts suggest that North Korea uses military drills by its rivals as justification for expanding its weapons arsenal, believing it will enhance its leverage in future diplomatic engagements with the United States.
On Thursday, two South Korean F-35As and two US F-22 Raptors conducted a combined aerial exercise over central South Korea. North Korea is highly sensitive to the deployment of advanced US aircraft, and this was reportedly the first deployment of US F-22s to South Korea in seven months.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency said on Friday that the redeployment of US F-22s for joint training with South Korea is further evidence of the US's hostile intentions, which aim for a forceful confrontation with North Korea. KCNA accused South Korean military officials of escalating tensions to align with US strategies against North Korea. The agency warned that the F-22 flyovers could lead to undesirable consequences for the US, without specifying what actions North Korea might take.
Also on Friday, Kim Yo Jong, a senior official and sister of Kim Jong Un, explained that North Korea's recent weapons tests are part of a five-year arms development plan initiated in 2021. She said that the recently tested weapons are intended to target Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and refuted claims that North Korea aims to export these weapons to Russia. Kim Yo Jong emphasized that these weapons are meant to prevent Seoul from contemplating any aggressive actions.
(With AP inputs)