South Korea did not wait for the possibility that the North will launch another ballistic missile after the incident On Tuesday. It immediately took preemptive measure to tell the North that the South Korean Armed Forces are ready to take on any potential attack. A live-fire drill of powerful bombs was conducted by South Korea to show its military power.
South Korea’s air force dropped eight MK-84 bombs, which struck targets very accurately. The four F-15 fighters made this drill at the Taebaek Pilsung Firing Range, a military field close to the eastern coast of South Korea.
The Express reports that every bomb has an explosive yield of a ton.
“Fire and fury”
Chung Eui-yong, the national security director of South Korea, called the US national security adviser H.R. McMaster for a discussion on the ballistic missile launched by North Korea. The launch on Tuesday was seen as North Korea’s reaction to the joint military drills between the United States and South Korea. The North believes that the drills are a rehearsal for an invasion of their country.
An investigation on North’s Korea’s missile launch over Japan has already been conducted. According to the Pentagon, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) asserted that the launched missile did not pose a significant threat to North America.
The Japanese armed forces, however, did not do any action to intercept the missile.
The US and South Korea’s counter measures
The launch on Tuesday seemed to be North Korea’s first ballistic missile to cross over Japanese territory since 2009. The missile’s travel path was the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, which is home to more than five million people.
Reaching a maximum height of 341 miles, the missile traveled around 1,677 miles within 14 minutes and landed safely in the sea. But the message it brought shook the allies to make a military response.
The United States and the South Korean government have joined efforts to analyze the launch. Both countries fortified their armed forces and strengthened their monitoring as well as preparation for any eventuality in case the North makes another aggressive move.
The South Korean government made warnings against North Korea that the latter will be confronted with a ‘strong response’ from the alliance if it continues its nuclear and missile provocations. They have encouraged the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions if it wants its economy to develop nd ensure its security.
