Seoul responded to the Pyongyang regime's provocation by launching a Hyunmoo-II short-range ballistic missile on Thursday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The missile was fired during maneuvers carried out on the west coast of the country. It was intended to hit a target in the Yellow Sea, simulating a North Korean missile launcher.
The drills were held on Thursday in the coastal district of Taean, located about 100 kilometers southwest of Seoul. The exercises – as the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on Friday – were a response to Pyongyang's recent actions.
On November 5, North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles and had previously carried out test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile.
The South Korean army fired a Hyunmoo-II missile PAP/EPA
Target in the Yellow Sea
The scenario for Thursday's exercises included firing a short-range Hyunmoo-II ballistic missile at a target in the Yellow Sea, which simulated a North Korean missile launcher, the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported.
“The exercises using live ammunition were intended to demonstrate our military's strong determination to respond to any provocation from North Korea and the ability and readiness to strike precisely at the sources of hostile activities,” the South Korean armed forces said.
Launch of the Hyunmoo-II short-range ballistic missilePAP/EPA
Attempts by the regime in Pyongyang
On Tuesday, North Korea fired at least seven short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. On October 31, Pyongyang tested the new Hwasong-19 ICBM missile. According to the regime's KCNA news agency, the missile reached an altitude of 7,687 kilometers and covered a distance of one thousand kilometers in a straight line during a flight lasting almost 86 minutes.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA