North Korea fired multiple rounds with rocket launches in Yellow Sea after South Korea holds air drills with US, Japan

A day after South Korea conducted joint air drills with the US and Japan, North Korea fired over 10 rounds of rockets into the Yellow Sea on Thursday morning from Sunan near Pyongyang in a north-westerly direction, according to South Korea’s military.

South Korea typically classifies the weapons used by North Korea’s military as short-range ballistic missiles. Under UN Security Council resolutions, North Korea is prohibited from using ballistic missiles, Reuters reported.

The missiles were launched from Pyongyang’s upgraded 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher, which was unveiled last year and is believed to be capable of striking South Korean population centers, comprising the Seoul metropolitan area, New York Post report said.

A South Korean military official informed local media, “The projectiles, believed to be multiple launch rockets, flew tens of kilometers before falling into the Yellow Sea.” The official mentioned South Korean and US intelligence are closely monitoring details.

South Korea, the US, and Japan held their first trilateral military air exercise on Wednesday under the administration of Lee Jae Myung, who was elected earlier this month.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated in recent months, after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s growing alignment with Russian President Vladimir Putin. North Korea has reportedly supplied weapons and up to 15,000 troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine. South Korean officials fear Pyongyang may receive economic assistance and advanced military technology in return, potentially boosting its weapons development programmes.

Kim has also continued to advance his nuclear and missile capabilities. This year, North Korea successfully constructed two 5,000-ton naval destroyers, with Kim describing the new warship as “convincing proof of the rapid transformation of our Navy”.

N. Korea flag hinders S. Korea church livestream in ‘hacking incident’

One of South Korea’s largest megachurches on Friday stated that its live-streamed worship service on YouTube was briefly hacked, during which the North Korean flag was displayed. A government agency stated that it is currently investigating the incident, AFP reported.

The incident took place on early Wednesday morning, when the livestream of the service by the Onnuri Church was suddenly filled with the North Korean flag, accompanied by what seemed to be Pyongyang’s music, the report added.

The flag was shown for nearly 20 seconds, a church official said, adding that the incident had been informed to the police.

In a separate statement, the church stated, “During the early morning worship service on June 18, an unexpected video was broadcast due to a hacking incident. We are currently conducting an urgent investigation into the cause of the incident and will take appropriate measures as soon as the situation is clarified.”

(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)