South Korea said on Friday that North Korea fired about 80 artillery shells into a maritime border area overnight, while Seoul and Washington defense ministers vowed to show determination in the face of the barrage of missile tests. of Pyongyang.
North Korea launched several missiles into the sea on Thursday, including an ICBM that failed to fire, prompting the United States and South Korea to extend air exercises that angered Pyongyang.
At midnight on Thursday, the South Korean army said it had detected more than 80 artillery shells fired into the sea by Korea.
North Korea, in what it described as a violation of the 2018 agreement between the two Koreas.
And the South Korean Ministry of Defense announced in a statement that the South has issued a warning message to North Korea regarding the shooting.
Washington and Seoul warned Pyongyang Thursday that the use of any kind of nuclear weapon against Seoul or other regional allies would lead to the end of North Korean President Kim Jong Un’s regime, as North Korea continues to destabilize the Korean Peninsula with an increase and an acceleration missile test.
North Korea has launched more than 20 missiles in the past two days in response to the joint US-South Korean military exercises that began on Monday. The launches pushed the South Koreans into shelters.
Follow-up in South Korea of a television broadcast of Pyongyang missile tests
Following Thursday’s meeting at the Pentagon, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong Sob released a joint statement saying they “strongly condemn” the escalation of North Korea’s military parade, including its ballistic missiles and artillery tests.
Any use of nuclear weapons against Seoul or other regional allies such as Japan, Lee said in a press conference with Austin after their meeting, “will lead to the end of the Kim Jong Un regime through an overwhelming and decisive response.”
He added that Washington and Seoul are “working on response options for all possible nuclear use scenarios” by North Korea.
While Austin said the escalation of Pyongyang’s aggression will only lead to the permanent relocation of more American forces or assets, such as additional aircraft carriers, to the region to bolster the US military presence there.
He added that the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier visited Korea in September for the first time in five years.
Washington and Seoul announced the indefinite extension of military exercises that were supposed to last until Friday.
Tensions between Washington and Pyongyang have also been exacerbated by recently declassified reports that North Korea is supplying Russia with artillery weapons for use against Ukraine.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said North Korea has sent an unknown number of artillery shells to Russia, but “is trying to make it look like they are going to countries in the Middle East or North Africa.”
Washington condemns North Korea’s launch of an ICBM
In an earlier reaction, the United States urged all countries to tighten sanctions against North Korea for violating UN Security Council resolutions. He launched an ICBM.
“The United States strongly condemns the DPRK,” said National Security Council spokesman Adrian Watson to test an ICBM“, confirming South Korea’s announcement of the launch early Thursday.
He added that President Joe Biden and his national security team “are working to assess the situation in close coordination with our allies and partners.”
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said this operation followed The day before the launch of a torrent of missiles of all kinds It represents a “clear violation” of UN Security Council resolutions banning the launch of ICBMs.
Price added that the launches showed North Korea’s threat to “its neighbors, the region, international peace and security, and the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.”
“This act underlines the need for all countries to fully implement the UN Security Council resolutions relating to the DPRK, which aim to prevent it from acquiring the technologies and materials needed to conduct these destabilizing tests,” he added.
The price did not specify specific countries, but China is North Korea’s main ally and economic partner.
China and Russia vetoed a US-led attempt to impose further sanctions on North Korea in May due to an earlier wave of missile launches.
