South Korea Fires Warning Shots At Unidentified Object From North Korea

Tensions are high after North Korea recently launched another missile test earlier this week. On Tuesday, the South Korean military fired several warning shots at an unidentified object flying across the military demarcation line.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message that the military is analyzing the flight path of the said object. According to Yonhap News, the South Korean military reportedly fired about 90 machine gun rounds from across the border, fearing that the object might be a drone from North Korea.

In January 2016, a drone crossed the demarcation line, according to a Defense Ministry paper released last year. The reports said small-sized drones allegedly from North Korea were spotted over the island of Paju, which is near the western sea and Samcheok.

Chairman of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, Kim Young Woo,  said that on Tuesday morning, another unidentified object believed to be from North Korea was seen flying over Paju but with a different speed. According to Kim, "There are various possibilities because different radars show different results." He added, "The military mentioned that one of the two could have been a flock of birds."

The South Korea military are as vigilant and alert as ever after North Korea did another ballistic missile test on Sunday, its 8th of the year. Despite warnings and sanctions from the United Nations and US President Donald Trump, North Korea still continued conducting missile tests, including one that was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and possibly reaching as far as the US. On Sunday, they launched a missile test that flew over 500km and landed in the Sea of Japan.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the series of tests are "disturbing". He claims that because the US is on its way to applying diplomatic pressure, this is North Korea's way of responding to the pressure they are starting to feel.