On Tuesday, several South Korean and U.S. fighter jets conducted a precision bombing exercise over the uninhabited island of Jikdo, west of the Korean peninsula, Seoul's military reported. These moves are in response to North Korea firing an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan.
"With the participation of four South Korean Air Force F-15Ks and four F-16s U.S. Air Force, South Korean F-15Ks fired two joint direct attack bombs at a virtual target in the Yellow Sea," reported the joint chiefs of staff in Seoul. These drills are intended to demonstrate the "ability to carry out a precision attack at the start of provocations," added the Seoul joint chiefs of staff.
North Korea launched a missile Tuesday in the vicinity of Japan. At approximately 8:00 a.m. (Japanese local time) the air-raid alarms went off in Aomori and Hokkaido, two prefectures in the north of the country, due to the sighting of a projectile coming from the border between North Korea and China, as reported on the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida's Twitter account: "A projectile, apparently North Korean, has flown over Japan."
The missile, which according to experts was a Hwasong-12, reached an altitude of 621 miles and traveled 2,858, almost the same distance between New York and San Francisco. After 22 minutes of flight it finally landed in the Sea of Japan, in the Pacific Ocean. At the time of the sighting, the Prime Minister of Japan condemned North Korea's "barbarism" and warned the population to "seek shelter underground."
[Emergency alert]
A projectile that appears to be a North Korean ballistic missile has likely flown over Japan.- PM's Office of Japan (@JPN_PMO) October 3, 2022
Other threats
This is not the first time that anti-aircraft alarms have sounded in Japan after Kim Jong-un's communist regime launched a missile. The last time this happened was in 2017, when the people of Hokkaido had to seek shelter and protection from a North Korean missile launch. A few days ago, North Korea conducted a short-range projectile test also over the Sea of Japan.
Pyongyang's launch comes days after U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas to strengthen relations between Seoul and Washington D.C. This test represents a serious threat to the security and integrity not only of Japan, but also of the rest of the world, according to Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno:
North Korea's series of actions, including its repeated ballistic missile launches, threatens the peace and security of Japan, and poses a serious challenge to the entire international community.
International response
Japan's allies reacted to North Korea's missile launch. The United States condemned the "dangerous and reckless" North Korean test in the vicinity of the Japan, as stated by US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson: "The United States strongly condemns North Korea's dangerous and reckless decision to launch a long-range ballistic missile over Japan."
On the other hand, South Korea requested cooperation from the United States, Japan and other international partners in order to take strong measures against the North Korean Communist regime." The latest provocation by North Korea clearly violated the universal principles and norms of the United Nations and a stern response and corresponding measures are ordered in cooperation with the United States and the international community," said the office of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
