North and South Korea exchanged warning shots along the disputed maritime border

Northern and South Korea they are said to have exchanged warning shots along their disputed western maritime border.

South Korea’s military said its navy fired warning shots to repel a North Korean merchant vessel it says violated its maritime boundary.

North KoreaThe US military said it responded by firing 10 artillery shells as a warning to South Korea.

There were no reports of clashes between the Koreans.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions over North Korea’s recent missile tests, which in turn have led to bombing drills by US and South Korean warplanes.

In a highly provocative move that escalates simmering tensions in the eastern Pacific, North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile at Japan earlier this month for the first time since 2017 – prompting evacuation warnings in Japan.

Earlier this month, North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile over Japan, prompting Tokyo to urge residents to evacuate (pictured: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un)

South Korea’s military says its navy fired warning shots to repel a North Korean merchant ship it says violated its maritime boundary (pictured: South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol)

Hours later, America and South Korea retaliated with their own show of strength and capability in the region.

“With the participation of four South Korean Air Force F-15Ks and four US Air Force F-16 fighters, a South Korean F-15K fired two JDAM bombs (JDAM) at a virtual target at Jikdo Range in the West. Sea,” said Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, referring to the Yellow Sea.

The purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate “the ability of the allies to deliver a high-precision strike on the foci of provocations,” they added.

The North Korean missile was launched around 7:20 a.m. from the Mupyeong-ri test site, near the border with China, and flew over Japan’s Tohoku region about five minutes later. Warning sirens sounded and civilians were told to take cover.

South Korean and U.S. fighter jets take part in a joint bombing exercise in this handout photo provided by the Ministry of Defense, South Korea, Oct. 4, 2022.

In this photo provided by the South Korean Ministry of Defense, a South Korean Air Force F15K fighter jet launches 2 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bombs on an island in South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022.

Earlier this month, North Korea launched a ballistic missile that flew over Japan’s Tohoku region and 1,800 miles into the Pacific Ocean before crashing

The missile flew over the mainland and flew 1,800 miles off Japan’s east coast before plunging into the Pacific Ocean around 7:45 a.m., making it North Korea’s longest-range missile test. No damage was done, no one was hurt.

Still, the test is an apparent provocation, likely in response to last week’s joint US, South Korean and Japanese naval exercises, which North Korean despot Kim Jong-un sees as a rehearsal for an invasion.

It also follows a rapid series of North Korean missile tests – now five in 10 days – and comes amid US warnings that the country is preparing for another nuclear test as Pyongyang ramps up tests to build a full-fledged nuclear arsenal. .

Some experts say that these missiles actually threaten US allies and the American homeland in order to extract foreign concessions. Nuclear weapons could reach the US territory of Guam and possibly beyond.