North Korea has attempted a territorial breach in the region of Ulleungdo, as more than ten missiles were used by North Korea on Wednesday, including one that President Yoon Suk-yeol described as “essentially a territorial invasion” when it fell not far from South Korean waters.
During the vigilant storm exercise, Ulleungdoo received an air attack warning that was broadcast on national television and instructed citizens to “evacuate to the nearest underground bunker.”
To “ensure passenger safety in the routes to the United States and Japan,” South Korea also closed some air routes over the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. Local airlines were advised to take a different route.
After The Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border between the two nations was breached by one short-range ballistic missile, prompting an unusual warning for the Ulleungdo people, government ask its people to evacuate the area immediately and take refuge in bunkers.
Unacceptable breach of territory
When hostilities in the Korean War came to an end in 1953, the military declared it to be the “first time since the peninsula was divided” that a North Korean missile had come thus near to the South’s territorial waters.
According to a statement from his office, “(Yoon) made the point today that North Korea’s provocation is an invasion of the territory by a missile that over the Northern Limit Line for the first time since the divide.
According to the military, the missile that went closest to South Korea fell barely 57 kilometres (35 miles) east of the South Korean mainland.
Three short-range ballistic missile launches were initially reported to have been found by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the South Korean military.
In a statement, the military perceived the missile launch that occurred close to South Korean territorial seas as “extremely uncommon and intolerable.” And the military if South Korea has promised to take this provocation seriously.
However, it was later discovered that North Korea had fired “at least 10 missiles today toward the east and west.”
The military claims that on Wednesday, one of the missiles came down just 57 kilometres (35 miles) east of the South Korean mainland.
According to Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute, “Pyongyang seems to have organised the most forceful and threatening armed demonstration against the South comparison to 2010 in protest of the joint US-South Korea practice. A meeting of the National Security Council was held by Yoon Suk-yeol in response to the launches, and he demanded: “rapid and stern measures so that North Korea’s provocations pay a clear price.”
North Korean missile launches were also confirmed by Japan, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that he intended to convene a “national security meeting as soon as feasible.”
Confrontation phase of power
According to KCNA, which cited a statement from the North Korean foreign ministry, North Korea on Monday demanded that the United States and South Korea cease their extensive military drills in the area, calling them a provocation that might result in “more powerful follow-up actions.”
North Korea warns if the US and South staged an attempt to use armed forces against the (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) without any fear then the worst price in history will be paid by the US and South Korea.
The North appears to be confident in its nuclear power. It appears that Pyongyang has finished building its most potent deterrent. This poses a very real hazard. Washington should immediately stop the pointless and ineffectual war games if it doesn’t want any significant developments that aren’t in line with its security objectives. If not, it will be entirely responsible for all the results.
Vigilant Storm and North Korea
Pyongyang launched its most recent missile because the most extensive combined air exercises between Seoul and Washington, known as “Vigilant Storm,” including hundreds of jets from both sides, took place.Through the Vigilant Storm, hundreds of planes simulate attacks around-the-clock.
Early in October, Washington made a warning to the North by stationing its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan close to the Korean peninsula and participating in a series of naval drills.
For the past two months, Washin, and Tokyo have conducted both joint and separate large-scale military drills to demonstrate their readiness for a nuclear assault by North Korea. Mr. Kim, who has always viewed such exercises as his enemies practising an invasion, has been incensed by them. To prevent itself from being attacked, North Korea initially began working on nuclear weapons.
High-ranking North Korean official Pak Jong Chon reportedly described the drills as confrontational and provocative in state media on Wednesday.
What is Kim Jong-un up to?
Despite having a restriction and strong limitations, Pyongyang conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017.
North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, declared to the world last month that his country has built nuclear weapons and will never give them up.
He characterised the action as “irreversible,” adding that Pyongyang will keep working on the project “as long as nuclear weapons exist on Earth” and The recent weapons represented the “dignity, body, and ultimate authority of the state.”
The recent activity of North Korea raises the question about its motive. It is assumed that North Korea launches missiles for three purposes: to improve and test its arsenal, to send a message to the world (mostly the US), and to surprise its people and keep them loyal to the leadership.
Although Kim has been clear, it can be difficult to tell which of these objectives Pyongyang is seeking to accomplish. According to several reports in the official media, the latest launches and exercises are retaliation for military manoeuvres being carried out by the US, South Korea, and Japan. The North claims that by launching missiles, it is sending a clear message to its enemies to lower tensions.
Tit for tat missile launch
Following the crowd crush in Seoul over the weekend that left more than 150 people dead, South Korea is currently in a state of national mourning. The tit-for-tat missile launches coincide with this period of mourning.
According to South Korean officials, North Korea launched at least 10 missiles on Wednesday in both the east and west. One of the North Korean missiles, which was fired before 9:00 (00:00 GMT) on Wednesday, at least, made a landing roughly 26 kilometres from the border, 57 kilometres from Sokcho, and 167 kilometres from Ulleung Island.
It set off the air-raid sirens in Ulleung, alerting the locals to seek safety below.
The missile was instantly picked up by South Korean and Japanese authorities, who strongly denounced Pyongyang’s aggression.
Even though the missile landed outside of South Korean national seas, President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea called it an “effective territorial invasion” and threatened a “quick and robust response.”
Only the 12 nautical miles of sea that border a nation’s territory may be claimed by that nation under international law. Mr Yoon has made it a point to be aggressive about North Korea.
Three hours later, three South Korean jets launched three precise air-to-ground missiles into the waters off North Korea’s east coast.
With over 50 missile launches from North Korea already this year, including one ballistic missile that flew over Japan, the firings indicate a significant escalation in hostilities on the peninsula.
