The South Korean military test-fires a Hyunmoo-2 short-range ballistic missile toward the Yellow Sea from South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, on Nov. 7, 2024. (South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — South Korea’s military test-fired a short-range ballistic missile Thursday to demonstrate it could “respond to any North Korean provocations” following the communist regime’s recent missile launches.
The South Korean Missile Strategy Command fired a Hyunmoo-2 missile from South Chungcheong Province, about 65 miles southwest of Seoul, to demonstrate the command’s ability to make “precision strikes against the enemy’s origin of provocation,” according to a news release Friday from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The domestically made weapon flew roughly 125 miles to strike a simulated target in the Yellow Sea, also known as the West Sea, the Joint Chiefs said.
South Korea unveiled its latest intermediate-range missile, the Hyunmoo-5, during an Oct. 1 military parade in Seoul. The Ministry of National Defense has described it as a retaliatory weapon meant to penetrate bunkers.
The South Korean military test-fires a Hyunmoo-2 short-range ballistic missile toward the Yellow Sea from South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, on Nov. 7, 2024. (South Korea's Ministry of National Defense)
The test comes two days after North Korea fired at least seven short-range ballistic missiles that flew around 250 miles before splashing down in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, according to the Japanese and South Korean militaries.
North Korea on Oct. 31 fired its first ICBM in 11 months. That missile flew around 620 miles at a peak altitude of 4,350 miles, according to government officials in Seoul and Tokyo.
Pyongyang has fired more than 45 ballistic missiles in 12 separate days of testing so far this year.
Air forces from the United States, South Korea and Japan conducted a bomber escort drill the day after the North launched its latest ICBM.
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer out of Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., was escorted by two U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons, four South Korean F-15K Slam Eagles and four Japanese F-2s over the air identification zones between South Korea and Japan, according to the South’s Ministry of National Defense.
The three countries also made a similar escort flight involving two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers a few hours after North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile off its eastern coast on April 2.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday said he was optimistic about boosting the alliance with the U.S. after a phone call congratulating President-elect Donald Trump for his election victory. Trilateral military training between the U.S., South Korea and Japan was critical in deterring the North, Yoon said at a news conference, adding he hopes Trump continues the trend.
