South Korea's air force staged a drill that it said showed its ability to "destroy" North Korea's leadership, according to a report Tuesday on CNN.
Before 6 a.m. Tuesday South Korea time, North Korea fired a missile that flew over the northern Japan island of Hokkaido, then fell into the Pacific Ocean.
After that launch, South Korea's presidential office announced that four jetfighters had dropped eight MK 84 bombs on a target simulation. The MK 84 is a 2,000-pound bomb that penetrates hardened targets, according to the U.S. Air Force, CNN reported.
Robert Kelly, Pusan National University Political Science associate professor, said that the response was a careful reaction.
"North Koreans can't just shoot missiles over people's countries, there has to be some response," Kelly said in CNN's report. "It's got to be tough, to send a signal, but they don't want to be too tough because no one wants to get into a war."
All of South Korea's bombs hit their targets, a South Korean Defense Ministry official told CNN.
"The drill reconfirmed South Korea Air Force capability to destroy the enemy's leadership in cases of emergency," the official said.
United Nations diplomats told CNN that the UN Security Council would meet Tuesday afternoon to discuss North Korea's launch.
After the North Korea missile launch, President Donald Trump said that "all options are on the table" regarding a U.S. response.