North and South Korea fired missiles that hit the sea off each country’s coast for the first time.
Seoul responded on Wednesday (11/02), three hours after Pyongyang fired a missile that fell less than 60 kilometers from the city of Sokcho on the South Korean coast.
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The South Korean military called it an “unacceptable” violation of its territory.
In response, they fired three air-to-surface missiles, which authorities say landed a similar distance outside the Northern Limit Line (NLL).
This demarcation line marks the midpoint at sea between North and South Korea, but the North has never accepted a maritime border.
North Korea warned on Tuesday that South Korea and the United States will pay “the most terrible price in history” if they continue joint military exercises, which are seen as a veiled threat to North Korea’s nuclear weapons development.
North Korea is expected to resume nuclear weapons tests soon after a five-year hiatus, and US and South Korean intelligence says Pyongyang has completed all the necessary preparations.
Eye for an eye and tooth missiles were fired during a period of national mourning in South Korea after
North Korea fired at least 10 missiles in the east and west directions on Wednesday, according to South Korean officials.
At least one of the North Korean missiles – fired just before 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Wednesday – landed about 26 kilometers south of the border, 57 kilometers east of Sokcho, and 167 kilometers northwest of Ulleung Island.
This set off sirens in Oolong, and residents were told to head for dugouts.
The launch was immediately discovered by authorities in South Korea and Japan, who immediately condemned Pyongyang’s escalation.
South Korean President Yoon Sok-you called the launch an “effective territorial invasion” though the missile fell outside South Korean territorial waters and promised a “swift and firm response”.
Under international law, countries can claim territory up to 12 nautical miles (just over 22 km) from their coasts.
Under international law, countries can only establish territorial claims within 12 nautical miles of the sea adjacent to their coasts. Yoon has made it his policy to take a tough stand on North Korea.
About three hours later, the South fired three precision air-to-surface missiles into the sea off North Korea’s east coast from fighter jets.
The launches mark a sharp escalation in hostilities across the peninsula this year, which has seen more than 50 missile launches from North Korea, including a ballistic missile that flew over Japan.
A US nuclear-powered submarine arrived off the coast of South Korea on Monday as part of joint exercises between the two countries that began in August.
