North Korea fired another round of ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday after the U.S. and its ally South Korea decided to stage drills with an aircraft carrier and the United Nations Security Council held a meeting in response to Kim Jong Un’s recent missile tests.
What Happened: North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles in the direction of Japan — its sixth in 12 days — prompting the U.S. and South Korea to hold joint maritime exercises with a U.S. aircraft carrier, reported Reuters.
"This is the sixth time in the short period, just counting the ones from the end of September," Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told the media. "This absolutely cannot be tolerated," he added.
The launch comes hours after Kim’s isolated nation condemned the U.S. for taking the matter to the U.N. Security Council. North Korea said it was "just counteraction measures of the Korean People's Army on south Korea-U.S. joint drills," suggesting that the recent launches are a reaction to the allied military moves.
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The North Korean foreign ministry, in a statement, also condemned Washington for repositioning its aircraft carrier off the Korean peninsula, saying it posed a serious threat.
Meanwhile, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said maritime drills would occur in waters off the country’s east coast on Oct. 7-8.
"We will continue to strengthen our operational capabilities and readiness to respond to any provocations by North Korea through joint drills with ... the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group," said the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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