N. Korea fires missiles south of NLL for first time

Nov 03, 2022, 08:35 am

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President Yoon Suk-yeol convenes an emergency National Security Council session at his presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, on Nov. 2, 2022, in relation to North Korea’s ballistic missile launch./ Source: The President’s Office

AsiaToday reporters Lee Seok-jong

North Korea’s military provocation is approaching a critical point. The North on Wednesday fired about 20 missiles, including short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs), and about 100 artillery rounds toward the East and Yellow Seas. The Korean Peninsula is plunged into an imminent crisis due to North Korea’s military provocations.

Besides, one of the SRBMs the North fired flew across the Northern Limit Line (NLL) for the first time since the two Koreas’ division and fell just 26 kilometers south of the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas. The missile headed toward Ulleung Island and fell into waters near the South’s eastern city of Sokcho.

In response, the government issued an air raid alarm and an evacuation order on Ulleung Island at 8:55 a.m. This is the first time an air raid alarm has been issued on Ulleung Island due to the North Korean missile provocation.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated that the North fired three short-range ballistic missiles at around 8:51 a.m. “One of the missiles landed near our territorial waters south of the NLL.”

“North Korea’s missile launch, which marks the first time since the division of the peninsula that it has landed near our territorial waters south of the NLL, is very rare and intolerable,” the JCS said in a statement. “The South Korean military will respond sternly.”

As the North Korean missile crossed the NLL, President Yoon Suk-yeol convened an emergency National Security Council (NSC) session. Yoon called it a de facto violation of the South’s territory and ordered “swift” measures to make the North pay a clear price for the provocations.

The South Korean jets including the ROK F-15K and FK-16 jets fired three precise air-to-surface missiles, including SLAM-ER models, into international waters north of the NLL at around 11:10 a.m., according to the ROK military.

The latest launch came as South Korea and the U.S. have been conducting their largest-ever air force exercise named Vigilant Storm since Oct. 31. Many experts also point out the North Korean move is aimed at building a justification for its 7th nuclear test.

Chung Sung-jang, senior researcher at Sejong Institute, called the latest North Korean provocation an “intense armed demonstration against South Korea” in response to the Vigilant Storm.

“The fact that North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the high seas south of the NLL shows their will once again to neutralize the NLL,” Chung said.

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