Status: 02.11.2022 05:37
First North Korea threatens the United States and South Korea, barely veiled, to use nuclear weapons, then almost a dozen missiles are launched, one of which hits near the sea border. South Korea reacts promptly.
North Korea has fired around a dozen missiles, South Korea said. The Seoul General Staff initially reported three short-range ballistic missiles fired from the coastal city of Wonsan in eastern North Korea. Shortly thereafter, South Korea reported that more than ten other rockets of different models had flown towards the east and west coasts of the Korean peninsula.
A North Korean missile fell near South Korean territorial waters for the first time since the end of the Korean War (1950-53).
According to the military, the missile landed just 57 kilometers east of the South Korean mainland. This circumstance is “very rare and unacceptable”. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called the incident a “de facto intrusion” by North Korea into South Korean territory in a statement released by his office.
Evacuation notice for Ulleungdo Island
Shortly thereafter, the South Korean military said it had fired three air-to-surface missiles toward the spot near the sea border where the North Korean missile had landed. The sea border was drawn by a US-led UN force at the end of the Korean War in 1953, but Pyongyang never recognized it. There have been repeated incidents between the two Korean states over the years.
An evacuation order for the island of Ulleungdo, east of the Korean peninsula, was published on South Korean television after the rocket was launched by the North. In addition, an air alert was declared for the island. Ulleungdo residents were told to go to the “closest underground shelter.” Japan also confirmed North Korea’s launch of suspected ballistic missiles, and the Japanese Coast Guard called on ships to be vigilant. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told journalists that he wanted to convene a “national security meeting” as soon as possible.
Unusually high frequency of missile tests
UN resolutions ban North Korea from testing ballistic missiles. Depending on the design, these can also carry a nuclear warhead. North Korea’s recent missile tests come amid heightened tensions in the region.
North Korea’s tests were seen in South Korea as a response to ongoing air force maneuvers by South Korean and US forces.
North Korea has been conducting missile tests at an unusually high frequency since the end of September, most recently last Friday. According to the government itself, this should also simulate the shelling of airfields in South Korea with tactical nuclear weapons.