Washington And Seoul Respond To North Korea's Test With 4 Missiles

 South Korea and the United States launched 4 surface-to-surface missiles toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of ​​Japan, in response to North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile that flew over Japan.

The South Korean News Agency in Seoul said that the launch of these missiles came in response to North Korea's launch on Tuesday of a ballistic missile that flew over Japan in an unprecedented action since 1917. 

It explained that both the South Korean and US armies fired two Atakams missiles at fake targets.

In Washington, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in an interview with CNN that these exercises are aimed at "making sure that our military capabilities are ready to respond to northern provocations if necessary."

He added, "It shouldn't go that far. We made it clear to Kim Jong Un that we are ready to sit at the negotiating table without preconditions. We want to see the Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons."

Kirby lamented that the North Korean leader "has not shown an inclination to move in that direction - and quite frankly he is moving in the opposite direction by continuing to conduct these missile tests which are in violation of UN Security Council resolutions."

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yul condemned North Korea's launch of a medium-range ballistic missile on Tuesday, and vowed a "firm response" to this "provocation".

Hours after the North Korean missile test on Tuesday, South Korean and US warplanes conducted maneuvers to bomb a target in the Yellow Sea.

The last time a North Korean missile flew over Japan was in 2017.