Jakarta, IO – North Korea fired three ballistic missiles consisting of one long-range missile and two short-range missiles on Thursday (3/11). One of the missiles triggered an evacuation warning for residents of a South Korean island and people in northern Japan.
South Korea’s military said it had detected “a long-range ballistic missile, which is believed to have been launched into the East Sea at around 7:40 a.m. in the Sunan area of Pyongyang,” it said, referring to into the waters also known as the Sea of Japan.
Shortly after, the South Korean military declared that it is maintaining a full readiness posture while cooperating closely with the United States and strengthening surveillance and vigilance.
North Korea reportedly has fired a total of 26 missiles since yesterday, including one that also landed near South Korean territorial waters. The barrage of North Korean missile launches came as Seoul and Washington conducted their largest joint military exercise, involving hundreds of warplanes from both sides.
Local media reported that air raid sirens were sounded on South Korea’s eastern island of Ulleungdo — where residents were warned Wednesday to seek cover after one of the short-range ballistic missiles crossed the de facto maritime border.
Tokyo also confirmed North Korea’s missile launch on Thursday. Japanese authorities issued a warning to residents of the northern region shortly before 8 a.m. local time, telling residents to stay indoors or seek shelter.
Tokyo initially said the missile flew over Japan, but Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada later said the missile did not cross the Japanese archipelago, but disappeared over the Sea of Japan.
Earlier, on October 4, North Korea fired a missile at Japan which also triggered an evacuation warning. Pyongyang later claimed it was a “new type of surface-to-ground medium-range ballistic missile.” This is the first time North Korea has fired missiles at Japan since 2017.
Meanwhile, the United States warned that a nuclear attack by North Korea against US interests would result in the “end” of Kim Jong Un’s regime. The threat was conveyed in a strategy document of the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) released on Thursday (27/10) local time.
“There is no scenario in which the Kim regime can use nuclear weapons and continue to survive,” the Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy Report said.
The Pentagon said it would continue to prevent North Korean attacks through “forward posture,” including nuclear deterrence, integrated air and missile defense, and close coordination and interoperability with South Korea. (rr)