U.S., South Korea fire missiles following North Korean barrage

South Korea and the United States fired eight surface-to-surface missiles off the South Korean eastern coast early Monday following North Korea’s launch of a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles the day before.

The combined firing of the ground-to-ground Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) demonstrated the allies’ capability to launch immediate precision strikes on the “origins of provocations and their command and support forces,” the Yonhap News Agency reported, quoting senior South Korean military officials.

“Our military strongly condemns the North’s series of ballistic missile provocations and seriously urges it to immediately stop acts that raise military tensions on the peninsula and add to security concerns,” Yonhap reported.

The allies launched the missiles from an eastern coastal region in South Korea’s Gangwon Province for about 10 minutes, officials said.

Officials with U.S. Forces Korea said troops from the 2nd Infantry Division fired one of the missiles and South Korean troops fired seven.

Sunday’s salvo from North Korea is presumed to have involved a variety of short-range ballistic missiles, including the KN-23 modeled after Russia’s Iskander ballistic missile. According to Yonhap, the KN-23 is known for its “pull-up maneuver” designed to avoid interception.

“The ROK-US alliance remains committed to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific,” according to a statement from U.S. Forces Korea. “The U.S. commitment to the defense of the [Republic of Korea] remains ironclad.”