Air raid sirens sounded in South Korea after North Korea fired a dozen missiles in its direction on Wednesday, at least one of which landed near the maritime border between the two countries.
The launches came hours after North Korea threatened to use nuclear weapons to make the United States and South Korea “pay the most horrific price in history” for their joint military exercises.
The South Korean military claimed that North Korea launched more than 10 missiles of various types off its east and west coasts.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement on Wednesday that it detected three short-range ballistic missiles fired at the coastal town of Wonsan in eastern North Korea.
One of the missiles landed 26 kilometers from the rivals’ sea border. The South Korean military said it was the first time a North Korean missile had landed so close to the maritime border since the country was divided in 1948.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said South Korea would not tolerate North Korean provocations and would deal with them harshly, in close coordination with the United States. The country has also strengthened its monitoring of North Korea’s activities.
In response to the North Korean missile fire, South Korea announced that it had carried out air-to-surface missile tests.
The South Korean military said its fighter jets fired three precision-guided missiles near the two countries’ eastern border.
Animosities on the Korean peninsula have been running high in recent months, with North Korea testing a series of nuclear-capable missiles and passing legislation allowing the preemptive use of its nuclear weapons in a wide range of situations. Some experts still doubt that North Korea could use nuclear weapons to launch hostilities against American and South Korean forces.
North Korea has argued that its recent weapons tests were intended to issue a warning to Washington and Seoul about their series of joint military exercises that it sees as a rehearsal for an invasion.
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