Desk Report –
For the first time, missiles fired by North and South Korea both touched down in oceans off one another’s coasts. Three hours after Pyongyang fired a missile that touched down less than 60 kilometers (37 miles) off the coast of the South Korean city of Sokcho, Seoul responded. The military of the South called this a trespass of its territory that was “unacceptable”, BBC reports.
In retaliation, it launched three air-to-ground missiles, which officials claim fell similarly far past the Northern Limit Line (NLL). North and South Korea’s approximate maritime midpoint is marked by the demarcation line, but the North has never acceded to the border.
On Wednesday, North Korea reportedly launched at least 10 missiles in both the east and west, according to South Korean officials.
The North had earlier threatened the US and South Korea over their joint military exercises, stating “The US and South Korea would have to face a horrific case and pay the most awful price in history.”
There are worries that Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, may be laying the groundwork for the country’s first nuclear test in five years.
President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea described it as a “effective territorial invasion” and promised a “quick and robust response.”
The missile landed outside the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit that is allowed by international law for governments to claim land as their own.
