...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...fired around 80 artillery rounds into a maritime border zone overnight, South Korea said on Friday, as defence ministers from Seoul and Washington vowed to demonstrate determination in the face of a barrage of missile tests by the North.
North Korea fired multiple missiles into the sea on Thursday, including a possible failed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), prompting the United States and South Korea to extend air drills that have angered Pyongyang.
Beginning shortly before midnight on Thursday, South Korea's military said it had detected more than 80 artillery rounds fired into the sea by North Korea, in what it says is a violation of a 2018 inter-Korean agreement.
The South issued a warning communication to the North over the firing, the South Korean Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
Meeting in Washington, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup pledged to seek new measures to demonstrate the alliance's "determination and capabilities" following repeated North Korean provocations, according to a joint statement between the two countries.
Tensions have been rising as North Korea has conducted a record number of missile launches this year, including at least 23 on Wednesday alone and the ICBM launch on Thursday. South Korea and the United States also say that North Korea has completed technical preparation to test a nuclear device at any time, in what would be its first nuclear test since 2017.
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