South Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the Yellow Sea as a deterrence measure against North Korea, following Pyongyang's announcement of launching the "world's strongest" intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that the live-fire drill was conducted on November 7 in Taean County, approximately 108 kilometers southwest of Seoul.
The exercise simulated a scenario in which North Korea had launched a ballistic missile. South Korean forces responded by firing a Hyunmoo-2 short-range ballistic missile at a designated target area in the Yellow Sea, representing the location from which the North Korean missile was fired.
"Through this live-fire exercise, our military demonstrates its strong determination to respond to any provocation from North Korea and shows our readiness and capability to strike precisely at the origin of such provocations," the JCS stated. The JCS added that South Korea, in coordination with the United States, will continue to closely monitor North Korea's military activities and is prepared to deliver an "overwhelming" response to any provocations.
North Korea has yet to comment on the development. The Hyunmoo missile system plays a crucial role in South Korea's preemptive strike strategy known as the "Kill Chain." This strategy allows Seoul to carry out a preemptive strike if there are signs of an imminent attack from North Korea.
The Hyunmoo-2C, the latest upgrade of the Hyunmoo-2 short-range ballistic missile class, has a maximum range of 1,000 kilometers and carries a warhead weighing approximately half a ton. South Korea's exercise followed North Korea's November 5 launch of multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the eastern sea, potentially fired from 600 mm multiple rocket launchers.
Five days earlier, Pyongyang launched its latest intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-19, into the eastern sea. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the missile reached a maximum altitude of 7,687.5 kilometers, traveled 1,001.2 kilometers over 1 hour, 25 minutes, and 56 seconds, and was described as the "world's strongest strategic missile."
On November 3, South Korea, Japan, and the United States conducted a joint military exercise, deploying U.S. B-1B bombers, South Korean F-15K and KF-16 fighters, and Japanese F-2 jets. North Korea frequently criticizes such drills, labeling them as preparations for aggression against Pyongyang.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated as North Korea recently released balloons filled with waste into South Korea in response to South Korean activists using balloons to send leaflets, cash, rice, and USB drives containing TV dramas across the border.
In mid-October, North Korea detonated mines and destroyed parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae railways connecting it to South Korea. These rail lines had symbolized a period of reduced tensions between the two nations.
North Korea has also accused South Korea of deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) carrying propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang's airspace on multiple occasions.
(According to AFP, Yonhap)
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