SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – With Seoul expecting another North Korean missile test, South Korean warships on Tuesday conducted live-fire exercises at sea, a second-straight day of military swagger from a nation still rattled by the North’s biggest-ever nuclear test.
The explosion Sunday, which Pyongyang said was a test of a hydrogen bomb, was a huge advance in the North’s push for viable nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the United States. It has also resulted in South Korea boosting its own military capabilities. Washington and Seoul agreed to lift restrictions on South Korean missiles they’d previously agreed upon, according to the South Korean presidential office, allowing for Seoul to improve its pre-emptive strike capabilities against the North.
The Korean Peninsula has been in a technical state of war since the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953. The near-constant unease has worsened in recent months as the North has displayed rapid improvement in its weapons capabilities, testing intercontinental ballistic missiles and a string of other missiles meant to target U.S. forces in Asia and the U.S. mainland.
More launches may be coming. The Defense Ministry said Monday that North Korea appeared to be planning a future missile launch, possibly of an ICBM, to show off its claimed ability to target the United States with nuclear weapons. It was unclear when such a launch might happen, but Sept. 9 is the anniversary of North Korea’s founding and past launches have coincided with important national dates.
South Korean ships including a 2,500-ton frigate, a 1000-ton patrol ship and 400-ton guided-missile vessels participated in the drills aimed at retaliating against potential North Korean provocations, the Defense Ministry said. It plans more naval drills in its southern seas through Saturday. On Monday, Seoul used F-15 fighter jets and land-based ballistic missiles to simulate an attack on North Korea’s nuclear test site to “strongly warn” Pyongyang over the recent detonation.