North Korea 'actual intrusion' into South Korean territory - Seoul counters missiles

North Korea fired more than 10 missiles from its territory on Wednesday, according to South Korean sources. Pyongyang has been transporting projectiles "of different types to the east and west," the South Korean army chief of staff said. A short-range missile crossed the de facto maritime border between North and South Korea.

According to the military, the missile came "closer than ever" to South Korean territorial waters since the end of the Korean War in 1953. The missile landed just 57 kilometers east of the South Korean mainland, according to the military. This circumstance is "very rare and unacceptable". South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called the incident a "de facto intrusion" by North Korea into South Korean territory in a statement released by his office.

An evacuation order for the island of Ulleungdo, east of the Korean peninsula, was published on South Korean television. In addition, an air alert was declared for the island. Ulleungdo residents were told to go to the "closest underground shelter."

In response to the North Korean missile tests, South Korea's military said it fired its own missiles from fighter jets. Three air-to-surface missiles were launched into the open sea north of the sea border between the two countries, the General Staff said on Wednesday.

The maritime border was drawn by a US-led UN force at the end of the Korean War in 1953, but Pyongyang never recognized it. There have been repeated incidents between the two Korean states over the years.

Japan also confirmed North Korea's launch of suspected ballistic missiles, and the Japanese Coast Guard called on ships to be vigilant. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that he wanted to convene a "national security meeting" as soon as possible.

The rocket launches carried out by North Korea on Wednesday are "the most aggressive and threatening armed demonstration against the South since 2010," Cheong Seong Chang of South Korea's Sejong Institute told the AFP news agency. A "dangerous and unstable situation that could lead to armed conflict" now prevails.

In March 2010, a North Korean submarine torpedoed the South Korean corvette Cheonan, killing 46 sailors, including 16 military service personnel. In November of the same year, North Korea shelled a South Korean border island, killing two marines, both young conscripts.

Before the missiles were fired, North Korea had said that the joint US and South Korean military flight exercises that were currently taking place were preparations for a possible invasion. Pyongyang warned that both countries would pay dearly if they attacked the north. Seoul and Washington are currently holding their largest-ever joint aerial exercise dubbed Vigilant Storm. Hundreds of combat aircraft from both countries are involved in the maneuver.