South Korea announced on Sunday that Pyongyang had launched fire with multiple rocket launchers. The Presidential National Security Office held a meeting on the shootings and said it was “closely monitoring” the situation in case of further fire from the north.
North Korea fired what appeared to be multiple rocket launchers on Sunday, the South Korean military said. The latter detected “flight trajectories” that are likely North Korean artillery fire, the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said.
“Our military has stepped up surveillance and vigilance, and maintained a thorough preparedness posture, in close cooperation with the United States,” the staff added. The presidential national security office held a meeting on the shootings and said it was “closely monitoring” the situation in case of further fire from Pyongyang.
A “rapid and energetic” response in the event of a new nuclear test
North Korea has carried out a series of weapons tests this year, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time since 2017. Seoul and Washington also believe that the Kim Jong Un regime could soon carry out a seventh nuclear test, which would prompt a “swift and forceful” response, warned US Assistant Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.
Last month, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup assured that Seoul would “strengthen” its military capabilities as well as its security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo to counter the military threat from Pyongyang. Six US F-35A fighter jets arrived in South Korea last week for a 10-day allied exercise, through July 14, in the first public deployment of US stealth warplanes to the country since late 2017.