North Korea fires ballistic missiles in a show of force
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA— North Korea on Saturday fired about 10 ballistic missiles toward the eastern sea, South Korea’s military said, staging its own show of force as the rival South conducts a joint military exercise with the United States.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, but didn’t immediately say how far they flew. Japan’s defense ministry said the weapons landed in waters outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.
The South’s Joint Chiefs said the military has stepped up surveillance and is maintaining readiness against possible additional launches while closely sharing information with the United States and Japan.
The launches came as the US and South Korean militaries conduct their annual springtime exercises involving thousands of troops while the Trump administration also wages an escalating war in the Middle East.
Relocation of US assets
The war has raised concerns about potential security lapses in South Korea, as local media —citing security camera footage and other images—have speculated that the United States is relocating some missile defense assets stationed in the country to support operations against Iran.
When asked by The Associated Press (AP) this week whether US Forces Korea was moving interceptor missiles from its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in Seongju to the Middle East, President Lee Jae-myung’s office said that it could not confirm details about US military operations.
The office said the potential relocation of US military assets would not affect the allies’ defense posture against nuclear-armed North Korea, while also citing South Korea’s conventional military strength. It earlier gave a similar response to reports about the possible relocation of Patriot missile defense systems from South Korea.
Simulation attack
North Korea has long described the allies’ drills as invasion rehearsals and often uses them as a pretext to dial up its own military demonstrations or weapons testing.
The North in previous years has conducted numerous salvo launches of missiles or artillery while describing them as simulations of nuclear attacks against targets in South Korea.
