US, S. Korea to extend joint air exercise

After North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday (Seoul time), South Korea and the US have agreed to extend their large-scale joint air exercise by another day, Seoul's defence minister said Thursday following his talks with the Pentagon chief, Lloyd Austin, according to Yonhap news agency.

The joint military drill between the US and South Korea was earlier scheduled to conclude on Friday, however, North Korean provocations got extended by a day.

The five-day-long Vigilant Storm practice between the US and South Korea was supposed to take place with around 240 aircraft, including F-35 stealth fighter jets, mobilized around the Korean Peninsula, Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korea's military said the ICBM was launched from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at around 7:40 am. This latest launch marked the country's seventh firing of an ICBM in 2022.

However, South Korea's defence source told Yonhap that Thursday's missile seems to have failed in normal flight.

"Our military has beefed up surveillance and vigilance while maintaining the readiness posture in close cooperation with the US," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.

Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that Pyongyang had fired an unknown ballistic missile on the Sea of Japan. Media reports had said that the missile is believed to be an intermediate- or long-range missile.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said North Korea's continuing missile launches are absolutely unacceptable.

"Today, North Korea conducted missile launches again. The continuing missile launches are inexcusable and absolutely unacceptable," Kishida said in a statement.

Over 10 years in power, the North Korean leader has conducted more than 100 missile launches, including intercontinental launches, and four nuclear tests whereas North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said numerous times that his country will continue to boost its nuclear potential.

Meanwhile, leaders during the QUAD summit which took place in Tokyo in May condemned North Korea's "destabilizing" ballistic missile launches and called on the international community to abide by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

"We condemn North Korea's destabilizing ballistic missile development and launches, including multiple intercontinental ballistic missile tests, in violation of UNSCRs, and call on the international community to fully implement these resolutions. We urge North Korea to abide by all of its obligations under the UNSCRs, refrain from provocations, and engage in substantive dialogue," said the joint statement by QUAD Leader following the summit hosted by Japan in Tokyo.