N. Korea flies 12 warplanes near S. Korea after missile launches
South Korea on Thursday said that 12 North Korean warplanes have flown near their border, prompting the country to launch warplanes in response.
Eight North Korean fighter jets and four bombers flew in formation, South Korea’s military said. It added that the North Korean planes were believed to have conducted air-to-surface firing drills.
South Korea responded by scrambling 30 warplanes.
This comes a day after North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles eastwards after the United States redeployed an aircraft carrier to the region and carried out joint military drills with South Korea.
Thursday’s launches were its second weapons launch in three days. In a statement, South Korea’s military strongly condemned the launches and said they were a “clear violation” of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
North Korea has carried out an unprecedented number of missile tests this year — 38 excluding cruise missiles — amid long-stalled nuclear diplomacy with the US.
