North Korea fires at least 23 missiles in ‘effective territorial invasion’ hours after issuing veiled nuclear threat

South Korea’s president said the launches were an invasion as missiles landed south of the rivals’ disputed maritime border ‘for the first time’
Pyongyang had earlier threatened to make the US and South Korea ‘pay the most horrible price in history’ as they continue large-scale military drills

North Korea

Associated Pressin Seoul

Published: 10:25am, 2 Nov 2022

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Air raid sirens sounded on a South Korean island and residents there were evacuated to underground shelters after North Korea fired at least 23 missiles on Wednesday, at least one of them in its direction and landing near the rivals’ tense sea border “for the first time”. South Korea quickly responded by launching its own missiles in the same border area.

The launches, which involved at least 23 missiles, came hours after North Korea had issued a veiled threat to use nuclear weapons to get the United States and South Korea to “pay the most horrible price in history” – an escalation of its fiery rhetoric targeting the ongoing large-scale military drills between its rivals.

“The North Korean missile launch is very unusual and unacceptable as it fell close to South Korean territorial waters south of the Northern Limit Line for the first time” since the peninsula was divided, Kang Shin-chul, director of operations for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters. The country’s military said it had fired three precision air-to-ground missiles in response targeting the spot near the maritime border.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol described the launch of a ballistic missile that crossed the disputed maritime border as “an effective territorial invasion”, his office said in a statement.

The South Korean military said the missiles launched on Wednesday were of various kinds and flew towards the Korean peninsula’s eastern and western coasts, but gave no further details.

In an earlier statement, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at least one of the missiles landed in international waters 26 kilometres (16 miles) south of the Koreas’ eastern sea border and 167 kilometres (104 miles) northwest of South Korea’s Ulleung island, adding that an air raid alert had been issued on the island.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said South Korea will not tolerate North Korean provocations and will sternly deal with them in close coordination with the US. It said South Korea has boosted its surveillance posture on North Korea.

Animosities on the Korean peninsula have been running high in recent months, with North Korea testing a string of nuclear-capable missiles and adopting a law authorising the pre-emptive use of its nuclear weapons in a broad range of situations. Some experts still doubt North Korea could use nuclear weapons first in the face of US and South Korean forces.

North Korea has argued its recent weapons tests were meant to issue a warning to Washington and Seoul over their series of joint military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal, including this week’s exercises involving about 240 warplanes.

In a statement released early on Wednesday, Pak Jong-chon, a secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party who is considered a close confidant of leader Kim Jong-un, called the so-called Vigilant Storm air force drills “aggressive and provocative”.

In this photo provided by the South Korea defence Ministry, South Korean Air Force KF-16 fighters prepare to take-off from Gunsan on Monday during joint aerial drills with the US dubbed ‘Vigilant Storm’. Photo: AP

Pak also accused the Pentagon of formulating a North Korean regime collapse as a major policy objective in an apparent reference to the Pentagon’s recently released National Defence Strategy report. The report stated any nuclear attack by North Korea against the US or its allies and partners “will result in the end of that regime”.

He slammed South Korean military leaders over what he called “rubbish” comments that threatened to destroy North Korea if it uses nuclear weapons.

South Korea’s military has warned North Korea that using its nuclear weapons would put it on a “path of self-destruction”.

“If the US and South Korea attempt to use armed forces against [North Korea] without any fear, the special means of the [North’s] armed forces will carry out their strategic mission without delay,” Pak said, in an apparent reference to his country’s nuclear weapons.

The US and South Korea will have to face a terrible case and pay the most horrible price in history

North Korean official Pak Jong-chon

“The US and South Korea will have to face a terrible case and pay the most horrible price in history,” he said.

US and South Korean officials have steadfastly said their drills are defensive in nature and that they have no intentions of attacking North Korea.

The White House on Tuesday pushed back against North Korea’s sabre rattling, reiterating that drills are part of a routine training schedule with South Korea.

“We reject the notion that they serve as any sort of provocation. We have made clear that we have no hostile intent towards [North Korea] and call on them to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.

North Korea “continues to not respond. At the same time, we will continue to work closely with our allies and partners to limit the North’s ability to advance its unlawful weapons programmes and threaten regional stability,” Watson said.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse, Reuters