The US and South Korea conducted joint missile drills off the coast of the southern half of the Korean peninsula on Wednesday (July 5) in a show of force after North Korea tested a newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) it said could carry a large and heavy nuclear warhead.
In video provided by a local tv network run by South Korea's defence ministry, an Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the Republic of Korea's Hyunmoo Missile II were seen being launched into the sky. The United States Army said in a statement that the drills showed both the U.S. and South Korea's military capability to "engage the full array of time critical targets under all weather conditions."
North Korea's test on Tuesday (July 4) triggered a call by Washington for global action to hold Pyongyang accountable for its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Some experts believe the tested ICBM had the range to reach parts of the mainland United States.
The North's official news agency KCNA said it had successfully verified the technical requirements of the newly developed ICBM in stage separation, the atmospheric re-entry of the warhead and the late-stage control of the warhead.
Produced by Claudia Romeo