Seoul-South Korean troops said on Sunday that they had detected the orbit of what appeared to have been launched by North Korea, probably from a multiple rocket launcher (MLR).
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that shootings were detected after 6 pm and the military increased surveillance and alert levels without mentioning further response.
North Korea often test-launches MLRs during military exercises, and in recent years larger versions of such rockets have also been developed. Small rockets and missiles are seen as central to North Korea’s plans to attack targets in South Korea in the event of a conflict.
This year, North Korea has test-launched a variety of missiles, from the largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to the smaller MLR. Everything is banned under a UN Security Council resolution that imposes sanctions on North Korea’s missile development.
South Korea is pursuing a $ 2.6 billion artillery interception system designed to protect it from North Korea’s long-range artillery and rocket arsenals, similar to Israel’s “Iron Dome.”
Most of the area around the capital Seoul accounts for about half of the population of 52 million and is within the range of North Korean long-range artillery and multiple rocket launchers.
The United States has approximately 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea and is training with South Korean troops to counter the North. The Allies conducted their own missile training in response to some of North Korea’s previous launches.
Kim Byung-wook and Josh Smith
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