According to the South Korean army, it is “the first time since the division of the peninsula” after the fighting in the Korean War in 1953 that a North Korean missile fell so close to the territorial waters of the South.
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The two Koreas exchanged missile fire on Wednesday, November 2. Pyongyang launched more than 10, one of which fell near South Korean territorial waters, prompting Seoul to retaliate with three air-to-surface missiles. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol denounced a “de facto territorial invasion”.
A short-range ballistic missile attributed to North Korea first crossed the Northern Limit Line, which is the de facto maritime boundary between the two countries, prompting a rare airstrike alert asking residents of the South Korean island of Ulleungdo to take refuge in underground shelters. According to the Seoul army, it is “the first time since the division of the peninsula” after the fighting in the Korean War in 1953 that a North Korean missile fell so close to southern territorial waters.
Soon after, the Seoul military reported firing three air-to-surface missiles near the spot at the sea border where the North Korean missile fell. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff initially claimed to have identified a launch of three short-range ballistic missiles. But he later announced that North Korea had launched “more than 10 missiles of different types to the East and West”.
President Yoon called a meeting of the National Security Council about the launch, which analysts say is one of the most “aggressive and threatening” for several years. The South Korean president further ordered measures “quick and severe so that North Korea’s provocations pay a heavy price”. Japan has also confirmed the launch of North Korean missiles, with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida telling reporters he wants “hold a national security meeting as soon as possible”.