North Korea fired four short-range ballistic missiles into the western sea on Saturday, South Korea's military said, as Seoul and Washington ended a high-profile six-day military exercise.
This is the latest in a barrage of North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), with one landing near South Korea's territorial waters for the first time since the end of the Korean War in 1953. The United States, South Korea and Japan condemned the action, with some saying it raised speculation it could be preparing to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time since 2017.
“Vigilant Storm” against aging fleet
North Korea’s launches came as the United States and South Korea completed "Vigilant Storm", their largest-ever joint air exercises which began on Monday, which North Korea who described it as "aggressive and provocative".
Experts say Pyongyang is particularly sensitive about these drills because its air force is one of the weakest links in its military, lacking high-tech jets and properly trained pilots. Compared with North Korea's ageing fleet, Vigilant Storm has seen some of the most advanced US and South Korean warplanes in action, including F-35 stealth fighters.
Saturday's launches came between 11:31 and 11:59 a.m. (02:31-02:59 GMT) and flew about 130 km (80 miles), reaching an altitude of about 20 km (10 miles), Seoul said.
The allied exercise involved some 240 military aircraft and two US B-1B strategic bombers, as well as four F-16 and four F-35A fighters, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said South Korean and US intelligence were conducting further analysis on the launches.
“Provocative”
Pyongyang on Friday demanded the United States and South Korea stop the air drills. South Korea said it scrambled warplanes in response to 180 North Korean military flights near the countries' shared border on Friday.
On Wednesday, North Korea fired a daily record 23 missiles, with one landing off the coast of South Korea for the first time, after Pyongyang threatened to take powerful measures unless Washington halts allied air exercises with South Korea.
As the tit-for-that exchange continued through the week, Washington called for a public United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday, where it accused Russia and China of providing "blanket protection" to North Korea from further Security Council action.
A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman issued a statement late on Friday warning that "sustained provocation is bound to be followed by sustained counteraction," to state media KCNA.
Disputes at UN
In recent years the Security Council has been split on how to deal with North Korea. In May China and Russia vetoed a US attempt to impose more UN sanctions in response to North
At the UN Security Council on Friday, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield dismissed criticism of Vigilant Storm as North Korean "propaganda", saying it posed no threat to other countries.
She assailed China and Russia during the emergency session, accusing them of having "enabled" North Korea.
Moscow and Beijing have in turn blamed Washington for the escalation, and the meeting ended without a joint statement from the Security Council.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters)
