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| South Korea Sends Fighter Jets for Bombing Exercises |
Seoul - South Korea dispatched fighter jets on October 6 after observing at least 12 North Korean fighter jets flying in formation. South Korean officials said they sent the jets after observing at least 12 North Korean warplanes flying in formation and carrying out bombing drills, Yonhap reported.
On the same day, October 6, North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the sea, just two days after firing a missile at Japan for the first time in five years on October 4. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected missile launches from the Samsok area of Pyongyang between 06:01 and 6:23 on October 6, but gave no other details.
The missile launch came after North Korea condemned Washington for deploying the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan near the country. During a joint exercise, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and the accompanying warship group were suddenly moved, according to Reuters.
The move is believed to be in response to Pyongyang's October 4 rocket launch. Officials in Seoul and Washington say North Korea has launched about 40 missiles this year, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and appears poised to hold its first nuclear test since 2017.
North Korea reportedly launched a ballistic missile into the sea on October 6, just two days after firing a missile at Japan for the first time in five years on October 4. South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing a military source, said North Korea fired an "unidentified ballistic missile towards the East Sea (Japan calls it Sea of Japan)".
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced the launch, which came just two days after North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile at Japan. According to Yonhap, the South Korean military said two ballistic missiles were fired.
In a statement by North Korea's Foreign Ministry, Pyongyang condemned Washington for deploying its most advanced aircraft carrier in the waters of the Korean peninsula, saying it posed a serious threat to the stability of the situation. The October 6 launch of the ballistic missile was North Korea's sixth weapons test in less than two weeks. The country has fired nearly 40 ballistic missiles in about 20 different test events this year.
US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida criticized the missile launch over Japan with the "strongest" attitude, while South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called it a "provocative act".
North Korea's unusual move has led the United States and South Korea to hold joint drills to show off their capabilities. The Allies carried out training bombings with F-15 attack jets, used precision munitions, and launched two missiles from the Army's Tactical Missile System.