South Korea, US Carry Out Missile Drills After North Korea’s Launch On Japan

South Korea and the United States have carried out a series of missile drills in response to North Korea’s ballistic missile launch over Japan.

The suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile flew about 4,600km (2,850 miles) on Tuesday morning before falling into the Pacific, the longest flight for any North Korean test.

On Wednesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said South Korean and US forces fired four surface-to-surface missiles into the sea.

The two sides each launched two Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, which hit mock targets and “demonstrated the allies’ capability to deter further provocations”, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the JCS.

The two allies also held a bombing drill off the peninsula’s west coast involving eight fighter jets, hours after the North Korean test on Tuesday.

Six countries, including the US, the United Kingdom and Ireland, have called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council over North Korea’s latest launch, but reports said Russia and China were opposed to an open discussion of the issue in the 15-member body.