US, ROK hold missile drill after missile launch over Japan

A joint military drill between the US and the ROK takes place on October 5, 2022, according to a photo provided by the Defense Ministry of the Republic of Korea, an Army Tactical Missile System or ATACMS. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the US military and the ROK successfully fired four Army Tactical Missile Systems missiles during the exercise that it said was intended to demonstrate its precision strike capabilities against the DPRK. SEOUL The United States military and the Republic of Korea conducted missile drills in response to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's launch of a ballistic missile over Japan.

The DPRK test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile IRBM farther than ever before on Tuesday, sending it soaring over Japan for the first time in five years and prompting a warning for residents there to take cover.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the ROK and American forces fired a volley of missiles into the sea in response to the attack, which was staged by the allies earlier in the day a bombing drill with fighter jets in the Yellow Sea.

The military also confirmed that an ROK Hyunmoo 2 missile failed shortly after launch and crashed during the drill, but no one was hurt.

The White House National Security Council called the latest test dangerous and reckless, and the European Union called it a reckless and deliberately provocative action and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the launch, saying it was a violation of Security Council resolutions.

On Wednesday, the U.S. asked the UN Security Council to meet on the DPRK.

It was the first DPRK missile to follow a trajectory over Japan since 2017, and its estimated 4,600 km flight was the longest for a DPRK test, which is usually lofted into space to avoid flying over neighboring countries.

The ROK Defense Ministry provided a photo of the F 15 K fighter jets and the US Air Force's F 16 fighter jets flying in formation during a joint drill in an unidentified location in the ROK, October 4, 2022. ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol called the test reckless and said it would bring a decisive response from his country, its allies and the international community.

A European Union spokeswoman said the launch was a reckless and deliberately provocative action that was in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.