South Korea and the United States fired eight missiles into the waters off the east coast of the Korean peninsula Monday morning after North Korea’s initial launch.
According to CNN, seven missiles were fired by South Korea and one was fired by the United States. North Korea launched eight ballistic missiles on Sunday into the sea and this is their third missile test following the election of Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea’s newest president.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff called the actions a “serious provocation that harms peace and stability of not only the Korean peninsula but also the international community.”
The recent missile exchange comes amid growing concern that nuclear tests are being prepared in the capital of Pyongyang. There has also been a shifting tone of hostility following Yoon’s win in the election. The South Korean president assured a tougher stance on North Korea with the intention to strengthen the country’s military.
“Just to escape temporarily North Korean provocation or conflict is not something that we should do,” he said in a CNN interview on May 23. “This kind of approach over the past five years has proven to be a failure.”
Yoon’s strategy is different from his predecessor’s, Moon Jai-in, who promoted peace and cooperation between North and South Korea.
North Korea’s launch on May 25 occurred when President Joe Biden was traveling back to the United States after a trip to Asia. He had a stop in Seoul where he met up with Yoon to discuss the agreement on restarting and potentially expanding joint military drills.
In response to the May 25 missile launch, South Korea and the United States fired back missiles that landed in the sea. The missiles from both parties are not targeted.
“Our military strongly condemns the North’s series of ballistic missile provocations and seriously urges it to immediately stop acts that raise military tensions on the peninsula and add to security concerns,” Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
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