US, South Korea fire missiles in response to North Korea’s longest-range missile test

Asia-Pacific, News October 5, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

The U.S. and South Korean military conducted joint missile firing drills on October 5, 2022, to protest North Korea’s longest-ranging ballistics missile launch that flew over Japan.

The two allies launched four missiles off the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula, marking the second such exercise under 24 hours after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over Japan without a warning for the first time in five years.

Earlier the U.S. and South Korean air forces conducted joint operation drills by bombing some targets in the Yellow Sea. Fighter jets from the U.S. Air Force carried out exercises in the Sea of Japan along with their South Korean counterparts.

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff General Kim Seung-kyum, the South Korean and American troops fired a volley of Hyunmoo-2 missiles into the sea. The military also confirmed that one of the Hyunmoo-2 missiles failed during the test and crashed shortly after its launch, however, no one was hurt during the incident.

Footage circulating on social media showed a massive fire and smoke at the Gangneung military base, causing wide-range panic among the local residents. The South Korean military apologized to its citizens over the failed missile test.

Explosion reported near Gangneung Airbase in South Korea causing public panic. South Korean military confirmed that one of its Hyunmoo-2C missiles failed shortly after launch and crashed pic.twitter.com/IbSSV0tKmH
— IRIA (@IRIA_Research) October 5, 2022

North Korea’s unannounced missile test came on October 4, 2022, as it launched its longest-ranged ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in the last five years. The missile flew for more than 4,600 kilometers as it passed from Japan’s northern skies before falling into the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese government activated threat sirens in Tokyo and other cities to warn the residents of the missile threat.

Although Pyongyang did not release any official information about the missile, many analysts and security officials believe that it may be a variant of North Korea’s Hwasong-12 Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM), which was unveiled in 2017 as part of North Korea’s plan to strike U.S. military bases in Guam.

Pyongyang’s actions are against the sanctions of the UN Security Council. The Security Council has decided to conduct a meeting on this matter on October 5. The 15-member security council meeting has been called on the request of the United States. Britain, France, Albania, Norway, and Ireland joined the U.S. in making the request for a Security Council meeting, however, China and Russia have opposed the meeting citing that the council’s reaction should be conducive to easing the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

^{U.S. and South Korea fired a volley of 8 missiles, one American and seven South Korean missiles, in the span of 10 minutes into South Korea’s eastern waters, on June 6, 2022. (Image Credit: South Korean Ministry of Defense/via nbc)}

In recent years, veto powers China and Russia have suggested that sanctions on North Korea should be eased for humanitarian purposes and to entice Pyongyang back to stalled international talks aimed at persuading leader Kim Jong Un to denuclearize.