South Korea and US have agreed to extend their large-scale joint air exercise by another day after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic Missile (ICBM). It has been confirmed by Seoul’s defence minister on Thursday following his talks with the Pentagon Chief, Lloyd Austin.
Originally set to end on Friday, the US-South Korean joint military exercise was delayed one day due to North Korean provocations. Across 240 aircraft, including F-35 stealth fighter jets, were expected to be mobilised around the Korean Peninsula for the five-day Vigilant Storm exercise between the US and South Korea, according to the Yonhap news agency.
According to South Korea’s military, the ICBM was fired at roughly 7:40 a.m. from Pyongyang’s Sunan district. This most recent launch was the nation’s eighth ICBM firing in 2022.
However, a defence source from South Korea told Yonhap that the missile on Thursday seemed to have failed in normal flight.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea announced in a statement that “our military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance while maintaining the readiness posture in close cooperation with the US.”
On Thursday morning, there were reports that Pyongyang had launched an unidentified ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan. According to media sources, the missile is thought to be an intermediate- or long-range weapon.
The continued missile launches by North Korea, according to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, are wholly intolerable.
“Today, North Korea conducted missile launches again. The continuing missile launches are inexcusable and absolutely unacceptable,” Kishida said in a statement.
The North Korean leader has carried out more than 100 missile launches, including intercontinental ones, and four nuclear tests during his ten years in office, and he has frequently stated that his nation will continue to increase its nuclear capability.
While this was going on, leaders at the QUAD summit, which was held in Tokyo in May, denounced North Korea’s “destabilising” ballistic missile launches and urged the international community to follow UNSC resolutions.
“We condemn North Korea’s destabilizing ballistic missile development and launches, including multiple intercontinental ballistic missile tests, in violation of UNSCRs, and call on the international community to fully implement these resolutions. We urge North Korea to abide by all of its obligations under the UNSCRs, refrain from provocations, and engage in substantive dialogue,” said the joint statement by QUAD Leader following the summit hosted by Japan in Tokyo.
