South Korean jet fighters launched three missiles near the western part of the sea border to “demonstrate their determination to be tough in the face of North Korea´s supposed provocations.

Seoul had declared the alarm on Ulleung island,previously, and ordered the immediate evacuation of residents to underground shelters, as one of the 10 ballistic missiles launched on Wednesday by the DPRK fell very close to the border area at 26 kilometers from international waters, which was described as “intolerable” by the authorities.

The DPRK said, on the occasion, that “a serious situation has been created on the Korean Peninsula due to the actions of military confrontation of the hostile forces” and demanded the cessation of “war games” conducted by South Korea and the United States, as well as their provocative folly.

Pak Jong Chon, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, called the Vigilant Storm exercises an “aggressive and provocative drill that targets the DPRK in both the number of mobilized (war) planes and its scope.”

He assured that Pyongyang remains vigilant and will make Washington and Seoul pay “the most horrible price in history” should they use weapons against it.

On October 24th, the militaries of the ROK and the DPRK exchanged warning shots on the western maritime border as well as accusations of the illegal entry of vessels into the other’s territorial waters.

That event and the one on Wednesday further worsen the situation on the peninsula, currently under increasing tension as a result of military exercises conducted by Seoul and the United States, and Pyongyang’s missile tests.

JRR/llp/oda/ymr