Seoul: South Korea plans to hold live-fire missile drills this week, involving Hyunmoo-II surface-to-surface missiles and the Cheongung surface-to-air missile defense system, in response to North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches, a military source stated. According to Yonhap News Agency, the military aims to conduct the drills as early as Wednesday following North Korea's launch of multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Tuesday and its firing of the new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday. The source noted that these drills are intended as a warning to North Korea in light of its escalating provocations, particularly the recent ICBM launch. The Hyunmoo-II is a short-range ballistic missile operated by the Army's Missile Strategic Command, with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers, effectively covering the entire territory of North Korea. South Korea has previously conducted similar live-fire missile drills in response to provocative actions from North Korea. In Octobe r 2022, South Korea's military fired a Hyunmoo-IIC ballistic missile following North Korea's launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile.