SEOUL (Dispatches) - North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) off its east coast on Friday, South Korea’s military said, while South Korean forces were wrapping up nearly two weeks of.
The SRBMs were fired from the Tongcheon area in the North’s Gangwon province, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, four days after the neighbors exchanged warning shots off the west coast of the divided peninsula.
“Our military is maintaining full readiness posture,” the JCS said in a statement, adding that it had stepped up monitoring and security while co-coordinating closely with the United States.
The launches did not pose an immediate threat to the United States or its allies, the U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.
South Korean troops were set on Friday to finish the 12-day Hoguk 22 field exercises, which have included some drills with U.S. troops.
About 240 South Korean and U.S. warplanes are due to begin the Vigilant Storm drills on Monday, flying 1,600 sorties in the largest number of missions ever staged for such exercises, the U.S. Air Force said.
The allied aircraft will perform “major air missions such as close air support, defensive counter air, and emergency air operations 24 hours a day during the training period,” the air force said.
Ground forces will also practice base defense procedures and survivability in case of attack.
North Korea has said its recent missile launches were in protest against the joint exercises, which it says are provocative and a rehearsal for an invasion.