South Korea Pledges Response to North's Missile Launches

Sputnik News

11:05 09.02.2015(updated 11:15 09.02.2015)

Seoul will firmly respond to North Korea's Sunday launch of five short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan, South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said Monday.

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) – South Korea will 'sternly deal' with Pyongyang's provocations and will monitor the changes in North Korea's and policy, the spokesman said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Lim, however, pointed out that South Korea was still determined to continue dialogue with its northern neighbor.

The missile launches took place ahead of annual military drills between Washington and Seoul scheduled for March, which Pyongyang said must be abandoned. Washington declined the communist country's offer to suspend nuclear tests in exchange for the move.

North and South Korea are still formally in a state of war, as no peace treaty was signed after the Korean War of 1950-1953. North Korea, which is not party to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, has carried out several nuclear tests, most recently in 2013, triggering further regional tensions.

© Sputnik