North Korea fires ballistic missiles after US military exercise with ‘most hostile enemy’ | World | News
North Korea fired a missile into the sea in response to a joint US-South Korean military exercise. About 10 ballistic missiles were fired from near Pyongyang’s international airport in a show of force on Saturday, March 14, following an 11-day military exercise by Pyongyang’s “most hostile enemy.”
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles flew about 250 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan. This came just hours after he met with South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. Donald Trump in Washington. In response, South Korea increased its surveillance. As tensions escalated, experts expressed concern that the launches could harm diplomatic efforts on both sides.
The United States and South Korea are currently participating in Freedom Shield, an annual 11-day joint military exercise between the two sides. North Korea has long described these as invasion rehearsals and often cite them as a reason to increase weapons testing.
The exercise, which begins on Monday, March 9, will be a largely computer-simulated command center exercise and will be accompanied by a field training program.
Last week, dictator Kim Jong Un’s sister criticized Washington and Seoul for continuing their drills amid such global uncertainty. Kim Yo Jong said the exercises undermine regional stability at a time when the global security structure is “rapidly collapsing and wars are breaking out in different parts of the world due to the reckless actions of international bandits.”
In recent months, North Korea has hardened its stance towards Seoul, with Kim calling Seoul “the worst enemy” at the ruling Workers’ Party’s week-long Ninth Congress in Pyongyang last month. Kim said his country could “launch arbitrary action” and “completely destroy” South Korea if its security was threatened.
The launch of the missile on Saturday came just days after Kim was photographed with his teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as the country conducted missile tests from a naval destroyer. Footage from state news agency KCNA showed the North Korean leader and the boy in a conference room looking at a screen showing weapons fired from the Choe Hyon destroyer.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Kim was taking steps to name her daughter as her successor. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it believed the girl, thought to be around 13 years old, was already providing input on policy matters.
