SEOUL, Nov 4 (Reuters) – South Korea said on Nov. 4 it had scrambled fighter jets in response to 180 North Korean military flights near the border between the two countries.
The North Korean operation follows more than 80 artillery rounds overnight, firing multiple missiles into the sea on Thursday, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that may have failed.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korean aircraft were detected in multiple areas north of the “line of tactical action” north of the inter-Korean military demarcation line.
Their flight occurred between 11:00 am (0200 GMT) and 3:00 pm. An imaginary line is drawn north of the Military Demarcation Line and is used as the basis for South Korea’s air defense operations, South Korean officials said.
He refused to give an imaginary distance from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), but local reports put it at 20-50 km (12-31 miles).
The South Korean military responded by scrambled to launch 80 aircraft, including F-35A stealth fighters, while about 240 jets participating in the Vigilant Storm aerial exercise with the United States continued training, the military said. said.
North Korea launched at least 23 missiles on Wednesday. This is his record for the day.
A series of launches this week prompted the US and South Korea to extend the warning storm military drills that angered North Korea.
North Korea’s foreign ministry issued a statement warning that the United States should stop “provocative” aviation exercises and that “sustained provocations will be followed by sustained counterattacks.”
The Pentagon said Friday that exercises with South Korea have now only been extended through Nov. 5.
“We continue to work closely with our ally South Korea on additional changes and the security environment on the Korean Peninsula,” a US military spokesman told Reuters.
Earlier, North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee secretary Park Jong-cheon said the United States and South Korea had taken a very risky decision to extend the exercises, “driving the situation out of control.” there is,” he said.
The US has called for a public meeting of the UN Security Council scheduled for later on Friday to discuss North Korea, which has long been barred from launching ballistic missiles by UN resolutions.
A North Korean foreign ministry statement, referring to the UN meeting, said North Korea was taking “legitimate self-defensive” countermeasures.
Ten North Korean fighter jets performed a similar maneuver last month, and South Korea scrambled its jets.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen amid concerns that North Korea is about to resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017.
In a joint statement on Friday, G7 foreign ministers said a nuclear test or other reckless action by North Korea requires a swift, united and strong international response.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, who met in Washington on Thursday, said they would seek new measures to demonstrate the alliance’s “determination and capability” after repeated provocations from North Korea. promised.
A senior U.S. government official said Thursday that the U.S. has been preparing North Korea to resume nuclear tests since May, but said it was not clear when such tests would be carried out.
The United States believes China and Russia have the power to persuade North Korea not to resume nuclear tests, officials told Reuters.
In recent years, the UN Security Council has been divided on how to deal with North Korea, and in May China and Russia vetoed and imposed additional UN sanctions in response to a North Korean missile launch. opposed the US-led move to impose
Reported by Josh Smith in Seoul. Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom and Chris Gallagher in Washington.Editing by Jack Kim, Jerry Doyle, Alistair Bell
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