The Defense Department said on Thursday that its frequent joint military exercises with South Korea continue to deter North Korean attacks.
“I think what’s important for people to understand is, one, deterrence continues to work,” Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at a daily Department of Defense news conference.
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Pentagon Air Force spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder answers questions during a briefing at the Pentagon March 16, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. (Vinci McNamee/Getty Images)
The remarks came hours after North Korea launched its latest ICBM, its second of the year.
The South Korean military said the missile was fired towards the East Sea. The launch came hours before South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Kishida met in Tokyo to discuss various issues.
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In this photo distributed by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, walks around what he says is a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launcher, in an undisclosed location in North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, file)
“Despite firing missiles into the ocean, North Korea is not attacking, nor should it be, and that the United States, Japan, South Korea and other allies and partners in the region will continue to work together to expand that deterrence and maintain our countries safe,” said Ryder.
Thursday’s ICMB launch also came amid South Korea’s ongoing Freedom Shield (FS) exercise between South Korea and the US, which the North has denounced as “preparations for a war of aggression” against it, the US reported. South Korean news agency Yonhap.
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This photo released by the North Korean government shows what it says is a test fire of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, file)
“And so in terms of North Korea’s reactions to this type of drill, as you heard me say earlier, it’s not only inappropriate, but it’s destabilizing and clearly worries those in the region,” Ryder concluded.
The White House strongly condemned the launch.
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In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter inspect what they say are gunnery exercises in an undisclosed location in North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
“This launch is a flagrant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. While US INDOPACOM has assessed that it poses no immediate threat to US personnel or territory or our allies, this launch unnecessarily escalates tensions and threatens to destabilize the security situation in the region,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
