After a North Korean missile launch, the US and South Korea exchange fire

• South Korea and the US conduct missile drills in reaction to N. Korean missile test over Japan.
• No one was hurt despite a South Korean missile failing shortly after launch and crashing during live-fire rehearsal.
• Six nations call for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on North Korea’s missile test.

In reaction to North Korea’s first ballistic missile launch over Japan in 2017, South Korea and the US conducted a number of missile drills.

The alleged intermediate-range ballistic missile made its longest flight ever on Tuesday morning, traveling 4,600 kilometers (2,850 miles) before crashing into the Pacific.

The launch in Japan was criticized as “barbaric” by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who sent out warnings to residents of the northeastern regions to seek shelter after hearing sirens. The United States and South Korea also denounced the test, and both nations issued strong warnings in reaction.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea reported on Wednesday that four surface-to-surface missiles were launched into the water by South Korean and US forces.

According to the JCS, the two sides each launched two Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, which struck dummy targets and “demonstrated the partners’ capability to prevent additional provocations”.

Hours after the North Korean test on Tuesday, the two nations also conducted a bombing exercise with eight fighter jets off the west coast of the peninsula.

This year, Pyongyang tested a record number of weapons, including an intercontinental ballistic missile that is prohibited (ICBM).

The most recent launch, which analysts speculated might have been a Hwasong-12, was still unconfirmed by North Korean state media as of Wednesday morning. That missile, which can carry a nuclear warhead, underwent its initial test in 2017.

According to some commentators, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants to utilize his country’s increased arsenal to put pressure on Washington to recognize his nation as a nuclear state. Kim Jong Un is determined to modernize the military.

Six nations, including the US, the UK, and Ireland, have requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council in response to North Korea’s most recent launch. Even if sources indicated that Russia and China were averse to an open discussion of the matter in the 15-member council, the meeting might still take place as early as Wednesday.

Separately, the South Korean military stated that no one was hurt despite a Hyunmoo-2 missile failing shortly after launch and crashing during the live-fire rehearsal on Tuesday night.

The AP news agency stated that although the missile burst into flames inside the airfield, the sound of the explosion and the ensuing fire created alarm and confusion in the coastal town of Gangneung, where some residents anticipated a North Korean attack.