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North Korea launched two short-range missiles off the United States east coast on March 2, Monday, after their leader Kim Jong Un allegedly commanded his army to prepare for war with the U.S.
The firing of missiles was North Korea's defiant response to the military exercises being conducted between South Korea and US. According to Reuters, in a report presented by South Korea's defense ministry, the missiles were fired about 305 miles into the sea.
South Korean Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said that North Korea launched and fired the missiles without designating any no-sail zones.
Kim also stated that their military will react firmly and strongly if North Korea takes provocative actions. "North Korea will regret it in its bones," he added.
The offensive move by North Korea followed threatening statements by Kim on Saturday, according to AFP.
"The prevailing situation where a great war for national reunification is at hand requires all the KPA (Korean People's Army) units to become (elite) Guard Units fully prepared for war politically and ideologically, in military technique and materially," he said, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
Kim allegedly told the army to train to "tear to pieces the Stars Strips," while he was delivering a speech at an opening for a new hall at the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang.
These comments made by Kim came after the ongoing naval drills being conducted by South Korean and the US, and ahead of this week's large-scale military exercises.
It was said that North Korea sees these drills as rehearsals for invasion and thus condemns it.
Pyongyang also criticized the drills harshly, with a spokesman for its army general staff saying Washington and Seoul "should be dealt with only by merciless strikes."
The firing of Missiles on Monday also sparked a swift protest from the Japanese, who stands and say that the launches caused threat to safety at the sea and the sky.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that North Korea's ballistic missile launches are extremely problematic conduct in terms of aviation and navigation safety.
"We swiftly lodged a stern protest with North Korea."
Despite the fact that North Korea often tests short-range missile off its coast as part of military drills, the United Nations has imposed corresponding sanctions to North Korean including their restriction from using ballistic missile technologies.
