S.Korea, US fire 8 missiles in tit-for-tat move

ANKARA (AA) - South Korea and the US fired eight missiles into the East Sea on Monday in response to North Korea's missile launches.

The early morning missile launches "demonstrated the capability and posture to launch immediate precision strikes," South Korea's Yonhap news agency said citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

On Sunday, North Korea launched at least eight short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, the third missile test since the inauguration of |South's new President Yoon-Seok-yeol last month and the 18th since the beginning of 2022.

The latest missile launches came two days after a joint military drill by South Korea and the US concluded in international waters off Okinawa mobilizing the USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, apparently to send a stern message against North Korea's continued missile tests.

Since last year, tensions have mounted in the Korean Peninsula as both the North and South have engaged in frequent military drills in shows of power.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid