South Korea President Vows North Korea Will ‘Pay the Price’ After Missile Lands Near Territory

North Korea launched 17 missiles into the sea on Wednesday, one of them landing less than 60 kilometers (40 miles) off South Korea's coastline, which South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol condemned.

It was the most missiles fired by the North in a single day, and it was the first time a ballistic missile had landed close to the South's waters since the peninsula was separated, according to Reuters.

As tensions increased in the region, South Korea issued unprecedented air raid sirens and fired its own missiles in retaliation. The missile crashed south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a contested maritime border between the two Koreas.

According to the South Korean military, in reaction, South Korean jets launched three air-to-ground missiles into the sea north of the NLL. AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER, a U.S.-made "stand-off" precision strike weapon with a range of up to 270 km (170 miles) and a payload capacity of 360 kg (800 lb), was reportedly among the weapons fired.

Before South Korea launched its missiles, Yoon's administration pledged a "swift and firm response," ensuring that Pyongyang "pays" the costs for its "provocation" due to North Korean missile launches.

"North Korea's provocation today was an effective act of territorial encroachment by a missile intruding the NLL for the first time since (the two Koreas') division," Yoon's office said, as reported by Reuters.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff stated the North Korean missile was one of three fired from Wonsan into the sea. Afterward, the JCS reported that North Korea had launched up to 14 more missiles from its eastern and western shores.

Air raid warnings were issued for the area between the islands of Ulleung and Sokcho in South Korea, and the city of Sokcho is located 57 kilometers (35 miles) from the NLL, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

According to international law, a country's territorial waters only extend outward a maximum of 12 nautical miles from its coastline. BBC says Pres. Yoon takes a hard approach to North Korea.

Pyongyang Pushes Its Missile Launches Amid US-South Korea Military Exercises

CNN reports that the number of North Korean missile launches so far this year is 29.

Alarm over the region's dramatic acceleration of weapons testing prompted the US, South Korea, and Japan to launch missiles and conduct joint military drills in response.

The United States and South Korea kicked off their massive "Vigilant Storm" military drills on Monday as planned. According to the US Defense Department, the exercises will involve "thousands of service members" from both countries and 240 aircraft.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet with Lee Jong-sup at the Pentagon on Thursday.

Kim Jong Un Claims North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Are Necessary

CNN has reported that experts believe North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is trying to send a statement by displaying his country's nuclear arsenal at a time of heightened international tensions.

Recent satellite imagery has shown activity at North Korea's underground nuclear test site, prompting concerns from the director of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog that Pyongyang may be preparing for its first nuclear test since 2017.

Pyongyang says its weapons are needed for "self-defense," and recent tests are a threat to Washington and Seoul over joint military activities it perceives as a preparation for an incursion, Al Jazeera reported.

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North korea, South Korea, Pyongyang, United States, Nuclear, Kim jong un