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| A previous US, South Korea Ballistic Missile Exercise |
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military said Monday it conducted a combined live-fire exercise in response to North Korea's sixth nuclear test a day earlier.
The training aimed at improving the capability of striking the North's Pyunggye-ri nuclear test site involved the Hyunmoo ballistic missile system and F-15K fighter jets.
In the drill, the Army's Hyunmoo-2A surface-to-surface missile and the F-15K's SLAM-ER precision-guided air-to-ground rocket accurately hit a designated target in the East Sea (Sea of Japan), according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
It said the range to the simulated target was set in consideration of the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site in its northeastern province.
The JCS did not specify the venue for Monday's training. For instance, defense officials said, the North's Punggye-ri area is located some 280 kilometers far away from Sokcho, a city in South Korea's Gangwon Province.
The Hyunmoo-2A's range is around 300 km, and the SLAM-ER can fly up to 270 km.
"The training demonstrates the South Korean military's resolve to destroy not only the origin of provocation but also the enemy's leadership and supporting forces if they threaten the security of our people," Army Col. Roh Jae-cheon, the JCS spokesman, told reporters.
He added, "We staged the real-distance shooting exercise, simulating the Punggye-ri area as the origin of provocation."
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