May 27, 2024
2 mins read

S. Korea Stages Air Drills Near N. Korea

About 20 fighter jets, including F-35A stealth fighters, drilled near the inter-Korean border…reports Asian Lite news

South Korea’s military on Monday staged an air exercise near the border with North Korea in response to the latter’s planned launch of what it claims to be a military spy satellite.

Around 20 fighter jets, including F-35A stealth fighters, conducted the drills in a central region south of a no-fly-zone near the inter-Korean border, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, hours after North Korea notified Japan of its plan to launch a space rocket carrying a satellite between Monday and midnight of June 3, Yonhap news agency reported.

“This strike package exercise was conducted to demonstrate the resolve and capabilities to punish immediately, strongly, and until the end, if the enemy undertakes a provocation,” the JCS said.

North Korea’s notice came before South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a trilateral meeting in Seoul on Monday.

Yoon and Kishida have called on North Korea to cease its launch plan.

According to Kyodo News, North Korea designated three areas where debris will fall — two west of the Korean Peninsula and the other east of the Philippines’ island of Luzon.

Pyongyang has made public a plan to launch three more satellites this year following its first military reconnaissance satellite launch in November.

The launch plan comes despite international criticism that any launch using ballistic missile technology violates UN Security Council resolutions.

“North Korea’s purported military spy satellite launch is a provocative act that breaches the UN Security Council resolutions, and our military will implement measures that demonstrate our powerful capability and determination,” JCS spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun said in a press statement.

Last week, the South Korean military said it had detected apparent signs of Pyongyang preparing for a military spy satellite launch at a launch site on its west coast.

Observers said that North Korea appears intent on securing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets as it is far behind the allies in ISR capabilities despite its focus on developing an array of formidable weapons systems, including submarine-launched ballistic missiles and tactical nuclear arms.

ALSO READ: US lawmakers visit Taiwan in signal to China

Previous Story

Cyclone Remal makes landfall

Next Story

J&K records highest polling in 35 years 

Latest from Asia News

‘Kill and Dump’ Haunts Balochistan Again

The latest killings have reignited accusations of extrajudicial executions and the use of counterterrorism laws to cover up custodial deaths in Balochistan….reports Asian Lite News Concerns have deepened across Balochistan following the

‘ASEAN Expands, But Keeps Its Soul’

Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan urged ASEAN to uphold its unity and strategic resolve amid intensifying geopolitical tensions and mounting external pressures…reports Asian Lite News Consensus and inclusivity will remain the cornerstones

Bangladesh bends to beat Trump’s blow

Dhaka seeks compromise as Trump’s 35% tariff looms large over key exports; Washington urges worker protections, factory relocation to US…reports Asian Lite News Bangladesh has opened the second round of critical trade

China seethes as US lands F-35s in PH

As US F-35 jets land in the Philippines for the first time, Manila cements its frontline role in Washington’s power play against rising China….reports Asian Lite News The Philippines is rapidly cementing
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Australia, S. Korea G20’s Top Coal Power Polluters

Australia and South Korea each emit over three times the

US, Japan, S. Korea vow to boost ties amid rising security risks

The officials of three nations stated this when they gathered