North Korea fires artillery into sea as South Korea, U.S. pledge cooperation

By Trend

North Korea fired around 80 artillery rounds into a maritime border zone overnight, South Korea said on Friday, as defence ministers from Seoul and Washington vowed to demonstrate determination in the face of a barrage of missile tests by the North, Trend reports citing Reuters.

North Korea fired multiple missiles into the sea on Thursday, including a possible failed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), prompting the United States and South Korea to extend air drills that have angered Pyongyang.

Beginning shortly before midnight on Thursday, South Korea's military said it had detected more than 80 artillery rounds fired into the sea by North Korea, in what it says is a violation of a 2018 inter-Korean agreement.

The South issued a warning communication to the North over the firing, the South Korean Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Meeting in Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup pledged to seek new measures to demonstrate the alliance's "determination and capabilities" following repeated North Korean provocations, according to a joint statement between the two countries.