South Korea detected this Sunday the use of multiple rocket launchers (MRL for its acronym in English) by its North neighbor, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) before the joint military exercise between troops from Washington and Seoul.
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The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) claimed to have detected “trajectories” believed to be artillery fire between 6:21 p.m. and 6:37 p.m. (local time).
In the joint rehearsal, US air force F-35A fighter jets are scheduled to be deployed to South Korea for the first time in about five years.
North Korea fired artillery projectiles, allegedly from multiple rocket launchers, “as a show of force,” the South Korean military said.
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“Our military maintains a posture of full readiness as South Korea and the United States cooperate closely to strengthen surveillance,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The military is analyzing whether the nature of the multiple rocket launcher launch was a routine exercise, a test launch or part of an armed demonstration.
Kim Seong-han, head of the National Security Bureau of the Office of the President, received a report from the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the National Crisis Management Center on recent activity in the northern neighbor.
The National Security Office is closely monitoring the situation in preparation for possible additional launches by North Korea.
North Korea has denounced the joint exercises as well as South Korea’s arms purchases as an example of “hostile policies” that prove US offers to negotiate without preconditions are hollow.