A South Korean island sounded air raid sirens and residents evacuated to underground shelters after North Korea fired more than 20 missiles on Wednesday, at least one of which landed near the tense sea border between the two countries. South Korea responded immediately by launching its missiles in the same border region.

The launches occurred hours after North Korea threatened to use nuclear weapons to make the United States and South Korea "pay the most horrible price in history" in response to ongoing military drills between South Korea and the United States, which it views as an invasion rehearsal. The White House asserted that the United States has no hostile intentions toward North Korea and pledged to work with allies to limit North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

The North's barrage of missile tests also occurred at a time when the world's attention was focused on South Korea in the wake of the country's worst disaster in years, which occurred in Seoul on Halloween weekend and resulted in the deaths of more than 150 people.

The South Korean military reported that North Korea fired at least 23 missiles off its eastern and western coasts on Wednesday, 17 in the morning and six in the afternoon. It was stated that the weapons were either suspected surface-to-air missiles or short-range ballistic missiles. According to South Korea's military, North Korea fired approximately 100 artillery shells into an eastern maritime buffer zone the Koreas established in 2018 to reduce tensions.

North Korea has conducted a record number of daily missile tests with 23 missiles, according to some experts.

One of the ballistic missiles was headed toward the island of Ulleung in South Korea before it landed 167 kilometers northwest of the island. According to the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff, South Korea's military issued an air raid alert for the island. The media in South Korea published photographs of island residents relocating to underground shelters.

The South Korean military lifted the island's air raid alert hours later. In response to North Korea's missile launches, South Korea's transport ministry has closed some air routes over the country's eastern waters until Thursday morning.

This missile landed 26 kilometers from the opponent's sea border. It landed in international waters off the coast of South Korea's eastern peninsula. It was the first time since 1948 that a North Korean missile had landed so close to the sea border, according to the South Korean military.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a statement stating, "This is unprecedented and we will never tolerate it."

Four people were killed in 2010 when North Korea shelled a South Korean island near the peninsula's western coast. However, the used weapons were artillery rockets, not ballistic missiles whose launches or tests are prohibited by multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

South Korean fighter jets fired three air-to-surface, precision-guided missiles near the eastern sea border on Wednesday evening to demonstrate their resolve to respond harshly to North Korean provocations. The South Korean military reported that the missiles landed in international waters 26 kilometers north of the sea border, the same distance as the North Korean missile that fell earlier on Wednesday.

It stated that it remains prepared to achieve "an overwhelming victory" against North Korea in the event of a conflict.

Professor Leif-Eric Easley of Ewha University in Seoul believes that North Korea's missile launches that trigger air raid sirens are meant to intimidate South Koreans into pressuring their government to alter its policies. The expanding military capabilities and tests of North Korea are concerning, but offering concessions regarding alliance cooperation or nuclear recognition would exacerbate the situation.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff previously identified three of the North Korean weapons launched as "short-range ballistic missiles" launched from the North's eastern coastal town of Wonsan, one of which landed near the sea border.

North Korean short-range weapons are designed to target vital South Korean facilities, including US military bases.

In an emergency meeting with top security officials, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered officials to take swift, unspecified action against North Korea for its provocative behavior. The landing of the North Korean missile near the border, according to him, would constitute a violation of our territorial waters.

During the meeting, officials also expressed regret that the North Korean missile launches occurred during a period of mourning in South Korea due to the crowd crush. They observed that this "clearly demonstrated the nature of the North Korean government," according to the presidential office of South Korea.

Earlier on Wednesday, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada stated that the trajectory of at least two ballistic missiles launched by North Korea appeared "irregular." This indicates that the missiles were the highly maneuverable, nuclear-capable KN-23, which was modeled after the Russian Iskander.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan described North Korea's continued missile tests as "absolutely unacceptable."

Cheong Seong-Chang, an analyst at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea, opined that the likelihood of armed conflict between the two Koreas off their western or eastern coastlines is growing. He stated that South Korea must respond to North Korean provocations with "proportional responses," not "overwhelming responses," to prevent the escalation of tensions and the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons by the North.

In recent months, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have reached an all-time high, with North Korea testing a series of nuclear-capable missiles and adopting a law authorizing the preemptive use of its nuclear weapons in a variety of scenarios. Some experts remain skeptical that North Korea would initiate the use of nuclear weapons against US and South Korean forces.

North Korea has claimed that its recent weapons tests were intended as a warning to the United States and South Korea in response to their joint military drills, which it views as an invasion rehearsal, including this week's exercises.

In a statement released early Wednesday morning, Pak Jong Chon, a secretary of the ruling Workers' Party who is considered a close confidant of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, called the Vigilant Storm air force exercises "aggressive and provocative.

Pak made an apparent reference to his country's nuclear weapons when he stated, "If the United States and South Korea attempt to use armed forces against (North Korea) without fear, the special means of (North Korea's) armed forces will carry out their strategic mission without delay."

"The United States and South Korea will face the worst case in history and pay the worst price in history," he said.

Officials from the United States and South Korea have repeatedly stated that their drills are defensive and that they have no plans to attack North Korea.

"We reject the notion that they are provocative in any way. "We have made it clear that we have no hostile intentions toward (North Korea) and we urge them to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy," said White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson on Tuesday evening.

North Korea "remains unresponsive. "At the same time, we will continue to work closely with our allies and partners to restrict North Korea's ability to advance its illegal weapons programs and threaten regional stability," Watson said.

US Indo-Pacific Command stated that this year's Vigilant Storm military exercises are the largest ever for the annual fall maneuvers. Approximately 1600 flights involving 240 US and South Korean fighter jets are scheduled. It was stated that the round-the-clock exercises, which began on October 31 and will continue until November 4, will include both air and ground combat techniques.