South Korean and US warplanes have conducted bombing drills in response to North Korea's firing of a missile over Japan for the first time since 2017, South Korea's military has said.
According to international media, "With the participation of four South Korean Air Force F-15Ks and four US Air Force F-16 fighters, South Korea's F-15K fired two joint direct attack munition (JDAM) bombs against a virtual target at the Jikdo shooting field in the West Sea," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the Yellow Sea.
The drills aimed to demonstrate the allies' "capabilities to conduct a precision strike at the origin of provocations", they added.
The European Union, meanwhile, condemned North Korea’s latest launch, which has raised alarm in the region as it flew over Japan.
“(I) strongly condemn North Korea’s deliberate attempt to jeopardise security in the region by firing a ballistic missile over Japan,” Charles Michel, president of the European Council, said on Twitter.
Michel said Pyongyang’s move was “an unjustified aggression and blatant violation of international law”. “EU stands in solidarity with Japan & South Korea,” he emphasised.
