US, S Korea conduct bombing drill after North launches missile

South Korean and US warplanes have conducted bombing drills in response to North Korea's firing of a missile over Japan for the first time since 2017, South Korea's military has said.

"With the participation of four South Korean Air Force F-15Ks and four US Air Force F-16 fighters, South Korea's F-15K fired two joint direct attack munition (JDAM) bombs against a virtual target at the Jikdo shooting field in the West Sea," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Tuesday, referring to the Yellow Sea.

The drills aimed to demonstrate the allies' "capabilities to conduct a precision strike at the origin of provocations", they added.

The European Union, meanwhile, condemned North Korea’s latest launch, which has raised alarm in the region as it flew over Japan.

“(I) strongly condemn North Korea’s deliberate attempt to jeopardise security in the region by firing a ballistic missile over Japan,” Charles Michel, president of the European Council, said on Twitter.

Michel said Pyongyang’s move was “an unjustified aggression and blatant violation of international law”. “EU stands in solidarity with Japan & South Korea,” he emphasised.

READ MORE: North Korea fires 'ballistic missile,' prompts evacuation alert in Japan

Tensions simmer

This was the first time in five years that a North Korean missile crossed over Japan, prompting the government to issue warnings for residents to take shelter.

It was Pyongyang’s fifth missile launch in a week, and the heightened activity has drawn widespread international condemnation in recent days.

The escalation is thought to be in response to a joint military drill by the US, South Korea, and Japan in the East Sea.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to hold a phone talk with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday night to discuss the issue.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over a National Security Council meeting and stated that North Korea's action is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

“It (North Korea missile) was in clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and a serious provocation threatening the peace on the Korean Peninsula, in Northeast Asia and beyond,” he said.

Last Saturday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea.

READ MORE: North Korea fires ballistic missiles in week's fourth launch