Reuters
SEOUL, May 25 – North Korea fired three missiles on Wednesday, including one thought to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile, after U.S. President Joe Biden ended an Asia trip where he agreed to new measures to deter the nuclear-armed state.
South Korea’s deputy national security adviser, Kim Tae-hyo, said the North also appeared to have conducted multiple experiments with a detonation device in preparation for its seventh nuclear test but that the test was unlikely to occur in the coming days.
In response to the missile launches, the United States and South Korea held combined live-fire drills, including surface-to-surface missile tests involving the U.S. Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the South’s Hyunmoo-2 SRBM, both militaries said.
They also put on other military shows of force such as dozens of fighter jets in an “Elephant Walk” formation, highlighting new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s harder-line policy on the North’s accelerating weapons tests.
His predecessor, liberal Moon Jae-in, staked his legacy on an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to engage with Pyongyang, but began conducting more military shows of force in the waning days of his administration this year after North Korea test-fired a string of missiles.
