Tension is particularly high on the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang fired at least 10 missiles of various types on Wednesday, including one falling just 57 kilometers (35 miles) from South Korean territorial waters, for “the first time” according to the Seoul army, causing a rare airstrike alert on a South Korean island.
This “North Korean missile launch is highly unusual and unacceptable, given that it fell near South Korean territorial waters south of the Northern Limit Line for the first time” since the peninsula was divided. explained Kang Shin-chul, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Evacuations to bunkers
South Korean authorities on Wednesday asked residents of Ulleungdo island, off its eastern coast, to evacuate to bunkers after North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles, Seoul said. . An airstrike alert broadcast by authorities on national television asked residents of Ulleungdo to “evacuate to the nearest underground shelter”.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called a National Security Council meeting over the launch, which analysts said was one of the most “aggressive and threatening” in several years.
Threats against Seoul and Washington
Japan has also confirmed the launch of suspected North Korean ballistic missiles, with the coast guard advising ships to be careful. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also said he wanted to “hold a meeting on national security as soon as possible”.
Seoul and Washington are currently holding the largest joint air exercise in their history, dubbed “Vigilant Storm”, involving hundreds of warplanes from both armies. Pak Jong Chon, a North Korean field marshal and secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party, said the drills were aggressive, according to a report by North Korea’s official press on Wednesday. “If the United States and South Korea try to use their armed forces against the (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) without fear, the special means of the DPRK armed forces will accomplish their strategic mission without delay,” said Marshal . “The United States and South Korea will have to face a terrible bargain and pay the most horrible price in history.”