New missiles fired by South Korea and the United States after the North Korean launch – 20 Minutes

New warning. South Korea and the United States launched several missiles at sea targets on Wednesday, the day after Pyongyang fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that flew over Japan on Tuesday. A first in five years which had led Tokyo to activate its warning system. According to the South Korean staff, the South Korean and American armies on Wednesday each fired two ATACMS short-range ballistic missiles “to strike with precision a virtual target” in the Sea of ​​Japan. These exercises “showed that we are capable and ready to neutralize the origin of the provocation while maintaining a constant watch position”, he added in a press release. The South Korean army, however, confirmed the failed launch of a fifth Hyunmoo-2 short-range ballistic missile, which crashed to the ground shortly after launch. The missile warhead did not explode and no one was injured, according to the staff. But a major fire broke out and caused panic in the town of Gangneung on South Korea’s east coast, with many worried residents calling the town hall, authorities said on Tuesday. Koreans and Americans had already conducted precision strike exercises, according to Seoul, with the dropping of bombs on a virtual target in the Yellow Sea by two South Korean F-15K fighter jets. The spokesman for the American National Security Council John Kirby, interviewed by CNN, indicated that it was a question of “responding to provocations from the North, to ensure that we can demonstrate our own capacities”. “It doesn’t have to come to that. We have made it clear to Kim Jong-un that we are ready to sit down at the table without preconditions,” he added. Return of the American nuclear-powered aircraft carrierThe South Korean army also announced on Wednesday the return to the region of the American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan which carried out exercises with the South Korean navy in September. , which in September adopted a new doctrine making its status as a nuclear power “irreversible”, this year stepped up its firing and launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time since 2017. Tuesday’s firing was the fifth in ten days. Pyongyang did not comment on the matter in official media. The United Nations Security Council is due to meet on Wednesday on this issue. According to Seoul and Tokyo, the missile has traveled about 4,600 km, probably the longest distance ever reached by Pyongyang in its tests. Missiles are usually fired in a lofted trajectory to avoid flying over neighboring countries. According to experts and senior officials, the missile is a nuclear-capable Hwasong-12 IRBM. It was first tested in 2017 and is able to reach US bases on the island of Guam.