South Korea and US launch missiles to prove ‘readiness to strike’ after North Korea firings
South Korea and the US have fired eight surface-to-surface missiles in response to North Korea’s latest launch.
Kim Jong Un ordered the launch of eight short-range ballistic missiles on Sunday, raising fears that he could be preparing to conduct the country’s first nuclear test since 2017.
It came after Japan also conducted a joint ballistic missile exercise with the US, which Tokyo said showed “rapid response capability” and “strong determination” to counter threats.
South Korea and the US had just ended joint military drills when North Korea launched its latest missiles, and the swift response is further proof of Seoul’s tougher stance since the election of President Yoon Suk-yeol.
He took office last month and quickly agreed with US President Joe Biden at a summit in Seoul to upgrade the allies’ joint military drills and their combined deterrence posture.
North Korea has previously criticised the drills as evidence of Washington’s “hostile policies” towards it, despite the president’s talk of diplomacy.
The American and South Korean leaders both say they are open to talks with Mr Kim, but Mr Biden stressed: “With regard to whether I would meet with the leader of North Korea, it would depend on whether he was sincere and whether he was serious.”
Talks between the US and North Korea have made no progress since 2019, despite face-to-face meetings between former president Donald Trump and Mr Kim.
The US wants signs of disarmament, but North Korea refuses to take such steps while tough sanctions remain at their current level.
Sanctions are unlikely to be beefed up even if a nuclear test is forthcoming, though, as the UN Security Council’s permanent members are divided on the issue. Russia and China vetoed a resolution to impose more sanctions after North Korea’s ballistic missile tests on 25 May.
Despite the frosty relations, the US has offered North Korea aid in its struggle with COVID-19, as the country continues to battle its first known outbreak since the pandemic began.
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