(Bloomberg) — South Korea said it dispatched its F-35 fighter jets after North Korea flew military aircraft near the inter-Korean border on Friday, an encounter followed by Kim Jong Un’s regime launching another suspected ballistic missile toward waters off its east coast.
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South Korea’s military said it detected the launch of a short-range ballistic missile at 1:49 a.m. local time Friday. North Korea fired two missiles that probably fell outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to Japan’s NHK, citing several Japanese defense ministry officials it didn’t identify.
US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that it was aware of “a ballistic missile launch” by North Korea. “We have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to our allies,” the command said.
The actions were the latest in a barrage of recent provocations by Kim. KCNA, North Korea’s state media, cited him as saying North Korea needs to continue strengthening its nuclear arsenal to deter enemies.
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A North Korean military spokesman said in a separate statement published by KCNA on Friday that the country took unspecified “strong military countermeasures” in response to artillery fire by South Korea near the inter-Korean borders.
Even a Small Nuclear Test by North Korea Would Be a Big US Worry
(Updated with US military statement in third paragraph)
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