N. Korea fires ballistic missiles as S. Korea, US launch joint military drills
North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the Yellow Sea on Monday, according to South Korea's military, coinciding with the start of Seoul and Washington's annual joint military exercises.
It marked the North's first known ballistic missile test since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House, News.Az reports, citing Yonhap.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from the inner land of the North's Hwanghae Province at around 1:50 p.m. but did not provide further details.
The JCS said it has bolstered surveillance and maintained a full readiness posture under close cooperation with the United States.
South Korea and the U.S. launched their annual Freedom Shield exercise on Monday for an 11-day run.
North Korea has long denounced the allies' joint exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion against it and has a track record of staging weapons tests in response.
The North released back-to-back statements denouncing the latest joint drills, threatening that Seoul and Washington will pay a "horrible" price for their "dangerous provocative act."
Similar news
