US and South Korea extends their air exercise in response to North Korea’s ICBM test

Tags: International News

In response to the launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic missile (ICBM) by North Korea on 3 November the United States and the South Korea have decided to extend their joint Air Force exercise Vigilant Storm by one more day.

The Vigilant Storm exercise began on 31 October 2022 was to officially end on 4 November 2022. The exercise involves approximately 240 aircraft between the two countries.

North Korea has denounced as “very dangerous” the decision by Washington and South Korea to extend their air drills. North Korea has long condemned joint military drills between the US and South Korea as a rehearsal for invasion and had warned of “powerful follow-up measures”.

North Korea Missile test 

In apparent response to the joint Air Force exercise,North Korea on 3 November launched three ballistic missiles, including a suspected ICBM. The launch followed firing of at least 20 missiles, the most in a single day by North Korea on 2 November 2022,  including one that landed off South Korea’s coast for the first time.

Conflict in Korean Peninsula 

• The Korean peninsula has been  under the control of Japan since 1910. After the defeat of Japan in the second world war it was occupied by the Soviet Union and United States . 
• They divided the country for administrative purposes at the 38 parallel  in 1945.
• The area under Soviet Union control  was called North Korea and the area under the United States of America  control was known as South Korea. 
• Soon a civil war ensued between the communist  North Korea and democratic South Korea. 
• North Korea with the support of the Soviet Union and China invaded South Korea in 1950.
• The United Nations called for member countries to provide assistance to South Korea and the United States under the United Nations mandate ordered its army to support South Korea.
• The Chinese Army joined the war in 1950 to support the  communist North Korean forces.
• On July 27, 1953, military commanders from the United States (representing the United Nations Command), the North Korean’s  Korean People's Army, and Chinese People's Volunteer Army signed the Korean Armistice Agreement, ending roughly three years of fighting of the 1950-1953 Korean War.
•  Since then the border area of North and South K0rea has been turned into a demilitarized zone but till date no peace agreement has been signed between the two. Technically both the countries are still at war.
• The United States has its troops in South Korea and is committed to defend South Korea from North Korea which wants to unify both the Koreans under its rule. 
• North Korea is supported by China and Russia.

Two Korean countries at a glance