The United States and South Korea agreed Friday to increase Seoul’s missile capabilities just days after North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan and threatened further launches, Seoul’s Yonhap news agency reported. The reclusive state fired an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 over Japan early on…
The United States and South Korea agreed Friday to increase Seoul’s missile capabilities just days after North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan and threatened further launches, Seoul’s Yonhap news agency reported.
The reclusive state fired an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 over Japan early on Tuesday, which it said was a mere “curtain-raiser” for the North’s “resolute countermeasures” against ongoing U. S.-South Korean military drills.
It came as the U. S. and South Korean forces were nearing the end of the 10-day annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint exercises, which the North regards as a rehearsal for invasion.
U. S. President Donald Trump later insisted that “all options” were on the table in an implied threat of pre-emptive military action, while on Thursday U. S. heavy bombers and stealth jet fighters took part in a joint live fire drill in South Korea intended as a show of force.
In phone call Friday, Trump and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in agreed to enhance Seoul’s deterrence against North Korea by boosting its missile capabilities, Yonhap reported, citing Seoul’s presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae.
