North Korea Fires Several Cruise Missiles Into Yellow Sea as US-South Korea End Joint Military Drills
North Korea fired several cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea on Saturday, Seoul's military said, days after South Korea and the US wrapped up their major joint military drills.
Seoul, September 2: North Korea fired several cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea on Saturday, Seoul's military said, days after South Korea and the US wrapped up their major joint military drills. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced the North Korean launch took place at around 4 a.m. but did not elaborate further, pending an analysis, Yonhap news agency reported.
"While strengthening our monitoring and vigilance, our military is maintaining a full readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters. South Korea and the US wrapped up the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise on Thursday. The North has denounced the drills as a rehearsal for invasion. Kim Jong Un Calls for North Korean Military to Be Constantly Ready to Smash US-Led Invasion Plot
As part of the UFS, South Korea and the US have staged combined air drills, involving at least one US B-1B strategic bomber, above the Korean Peninsula. In response, North Korea launched a military command post drill involving the scenario of occupying South Korean territory and fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward waters off its east coast earlier this week. North Korea: Kim Jong Un Inspects Cruise Missile Test Aboard Warship Amid South Korea-US Joint Military Drills
North Korea claimed that the missile launch on Wednesday night was a tactical nuclear strike drill simulating "scorched-earth" strikes against major command centres and airfields in South Korea. In March, North Korea said it launched strategic cruise missiles "tipped with a test warhead simulating a nuclear warhead".
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 02, 2023 08:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).