South Korea, US carry out bombing drills post North Korea missile launch

South Korea and USA held bombing drills on Tuesday (October 4) in response to missile launch by North Korea over Japan, said South Korea's military. It said that four F-15K fighter jets were mobilised and they dropped a pair of guided bomb on a target that was off its west coast. The US joined in with four F-16 fighter jets.

On Tuesday, North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile farther than ever before. The test sent missiles soaring over Japan. This has happened for the first time in five years.

Officials in Tokyo and Seoul said the North’s ballistic missile flew 4,500 to 4,600 kilometres (2,796 to 2,850 miles) to a maximum altitude of about 1,000 km.

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Japan warned its citizens to take cover and suspended some train services when the missile passed over its north before falling into the Pacific Ocean.

It was the latest in an escalating cycle of muscle flexing by the North. A US aircraft carrier made a port call in South Korea for the first time since 2018 on Sept. 23, and North Korea has conducted five launches in the last 10 days.

The period has also seen joint drills by the United States, South Korea and Japan, and a visit to the fortified border between the Koreas by US Vice President Kamala Harris, who accused the North of undermining security.

North Korea accuses the United States and its allies of threatening it with exercises and defence build-ups.

Recent tests had drawn relatively muted responses from Washington, which is focused on the war in Ukraine as well as other domestic and foreign crises.

(With inputs from agencies)

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