"Evacuate To Bunkers": Seoul Issues Warning As N. Korea Launches Missiles - NDTV

Seoul:

North Korea fired much than 10 missiles Wednesday, including 1 that landed adjacent to South Korea's waters that President Yoon Suk-yeol said was 'effectively a territorial invasion'.

An aerial raid informing was issued for Ulleungdo that was flashed connected nationalist tv and told residents to "evacuate to the nearest underground shelter".

One abbreviated scope ballistic rocket crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime borderline betwixt the 2 countries, prompting a uncommon informing for residents connected the land of Ulleungdo to question structure successful bunkers.

The subject said it was the "first clip since the peninsula was divided" astatine the extremity of the of Korean War hostilities successful 1953 that a North Korean rocket had landed truthful adjacent to the South's territorial waters.

"(Yoon) pointed retired contiguous that North Korea's provocation is an effectual territorial penetration by a rocket that crossed the Northern Limit Line for the archetypal clip since the division," his bureau said successful a statement.

The rocket that was closest to South Korea landed successful waters conscionable 57 kilometers (35 miles) eastbound of the South Korean mainland, the subject said.

The subject released a connection describing the rocket motorboat adjacent South Korean territorial waters arsenic "very uncommon and intolerable".

"Our subject vowed to respond firmly to this (provocation)," it added.

The South Korean military's Joint Chiefs of Staff initially said it detected the motorboat of 3 abbreviated scope ballistic missiles.

But it aboriginal announced North Korea had fired "at slightest 10 missiles of assorted types contiguous towards the eastbound and west".

Yoon Suk-yeol called a gathering of the National Security Council implicit the launches, ordering "swift and stern measures truthful that North Korea's provocations wage a wide price."

Japan besides confirmed North Korean rocket launches, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida telling reporters helium planned to telephone a "national information gathering arsenic soon arsenic possible."

Vigilant Storm

Pyongyang's latest motorboat comes arsenic Seoul and Washington signifier their largest-ever associated aerial drills, dubbed "Vigilant Storm", which impact hundreds of warplanes from some sides.

Pak Jong Chon, a high-ranking authoritative successful North Korea, said the drills were assertive and provocative, according to a study successful authorities media Wednesday.

Pak said the sanction of the exercises harks backmost to Operation Desert Storm, the US-led subject battle connected Iraq successful 1990-1991 aft it invaded Kuwait.

"If the US and South Korea effort to usage equipped forces against the (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) without immoderate fear, the peculiar means of the DPRK's equipped forces volition transportation retired their strategical ngo without delay," helium said.

"The US and South Korea volition person to look a unspeakable lawsuit and wage the astir horrible terms successful history."

Close to S Korea

One of the missiles connected Wednesday landed successful waters conscionable 57 kilometers (35 miles) eastbound of the South Korean mainland, the subject said.

"In protestation of the associated US-South Korea drill, Pyongyang seems to person staged the astir assertive and threatening equipped objection against the South since 2010," Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher astatine the Sejong Institute told AFP.

In March 2010, a North Korean submarine torpedoed the South Korean naval vas Cheonan, sidesplitting 46 sailors including 16 who were connected their mandatory subject service.

In November the aforesaid year, the North shelled a South Korean borderline island, sidesplitting 2 marines -- some of them young conscripts.

"It is present a unsafe and unstable concern that could pb to equipped conflicts," helium added.

The trial follows a caller blitz of launches, including what the North said were tactical nuke drills, that Washington and Seoul person repeatedly warned could culminate successful different atomic trial -- which would beryllium Pyongyang's seventh.

The Vigilant Storm aerial drills were preceded by 12 days of amphibious naval exercises.

"As acold arsenic I tin remember, North Korea has ne'er made specified a provocation erstwhile South Korea and the US were holding their associated drills," Park Won-gon, a prof astatine Ewha University, told AFP.

"Pyongyang seems to person completed its astir almighty deterrent. This is simply a superior threat. The North besides seems assured successful their atomic capabilities."

(Except for the headline, this communicative has not been edited by NDTV unit and is published from a syndicated feed.)