South Korea’s chairman said missile firing, the fifth North Korean missile launch event this year, was detected in the north Hansar province, but did not give details such as how far they flew. South Korea said it is strengthening its surveillance stance and is coordinating closely with the US.
Earlier on Monday, South Korean and US troops launched joint military exercises, scheduled to last 11 days each year. The Freedom Shield Command Post Exercise began after South Korean and US forces suspended live action training, but Seoul investigated how two fighters accidentally bombed civilian areas during a warm-up drill last week.
The start of the drill attracted the blame of nuclear-armed North Korea. This issued a government statement calling “dangerous and provocative acts” exercises that increase the risk of military conflict.
About 30 people were injured, two of whom were seriously injured. It comes when two South Korean KF-16 fighters accidentally fired eight MK-82 bombs on Thursday in a civilian area of Pocheon, the town near the North Korean border. The bombing occurred while South Korean and US troops engaged in live-action training prior to the larger Free Shield movement.
In a background briefing to domestic reporters on Monday, the South Korean Air Force repeated its initial assessment last week that one of its KF-16 pilots had entered the wrong coordinates of the bombing site.
MNA/