Seoul - (AFP) - The South Korean and US militaries Wednesday launched four short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles at imaginary targets at sea, in response to North Korea's launch on Tuesday of a medium-range ballistic missile that flew over Japan five years ago.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that both the South Korean and US armies fired two Atacams missiles at mock targets in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.

The statement indicated that the firing of these short-range ballistic missiles took place "to accurately hit an imaginary target."

The General Staff added that these exercises "showed that we are able and ready to eliminate the source of provocation while maintaining a continuous monitoring position.

In its statement, the South Korean army pointed out that a missile launched by its units fell shortly after its launch and crashed, without causing any injuries due to its failure.

On Tuesday morning, North Korea launched a medium-range ballistic missile that flew over Japan before falling into the Pacific Ocean, in an unprecedented event since 2017 that prompted Tokyo to activate the warning system and ask residents of some areas to take shelter.

Pyongyang, which possesses nuclear weapons, this year conducted a series of tests at an unprecedented pace. These tests culminated last week when the North Korean army fired four short-range ballistic missiles.

In Washington , US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in an interview with CNN that these exercises aim to "make sure that our military capabilities are ready to respond to the North's provocations if necessary."

"It should not come to that. We have made it clear to Kim Jong-un that we are ready to sit at the negotiating table without preconditions. We want to see a denuclearized Korean peninsula," he added.

Kirby lamented that the North Korean leader "has not shown an inclination to move in this direction - and quite frankly he is moving in the opposite direction by continuing to conduct these missile tests in violation of UN Security Council resolutions."

South Korean President Yoon Sok-yul condemned North Korea's launch of a medium-range ballistic missile on Tuesday, and pledged a "firm response" to this "provocation".

Hours after the North Korean missile test, South Korean and American fighters conducted maneuvers on Tuesday, during which two South Korean F-15K fighters dropped bombs on an imaginary target in the Yellow Sea.

The last time a North Korean missile flew over Japan dates back to 2017, at the height of the "fire and fury" phase, during which North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sparred with US President Donald Trump at the time.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the North Korean missile test, considering it a "clear escalation," while US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned it "in the strongest terms."

Pyongyang has intensified its banned weapons programs in light of stalled negotiations with the United States, conducting a record number of military tests this year and passing a new law allowing it to carry out pre-emptive nuclear strikes, including in response to attacks with conventional weapons, in a move that made its nuclear power "irreversible". in it".

On September 30, Seoul, Tokyo and Washington conducted three anti-submarine exercises, in a precedent of its kind in five years. These exercises came days after large-scale maneuvers conducted by the US and South Korean navies off the peninsula.

And North Korea, which is subject to UN sanctions because of its banned weapons programs, usually tries to conduct its military experiments at a time that increases its geopolitical burden.

Recently, US and South Korean officials have warned that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is preparing to conduct a new nuclear test.

South Korean intelligence agencies have reported that this nuclear test could take place between the Chinese Communist Party congress on October 16 and the US mid-term presidential elections on November 7.

Concern is growing over North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons, as it, unlike other nuclear powers, does not consider that these weapons constitute only a deterrent and should not be used at all.

Pyongyang has conducted six nuclear tests since 2006, the most recent of which was the most powerful in 2017.