North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The launch took place just hours after South Korea and the United States began their annual Freedom Shield military exercises, which Pyongyang has consistently criticized as a rehearsal for invasion.
The missiles were launched from North Korea’s southwestern Hwanghae province and were classified as short-range. However, South Korea’s military did not provide details on their flight distance. In response, South Korea increased its surveillance measures and is closely coordinating with the United States. This marks North Korea’s fifth missile launch event of the year.
The Freedom Shield exercise, which began on Monday and is scheduled to continue until March 20, is one of the largest joint military drills conducted by the US and South Korea. It includes field training exercises, urban combat simulations, and air assault operations. North Korea has repeatedly condemned such drills, viewing them as a threat to its security.
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry issued a strong statement against the joint exercises, calling them a “dangerous provocative act” that increases the risk of conflict on the Korean Peninsula. The ministry warned that the drills could lead to unintended military escalation and reiterated leader Kim Jong Un’s goal of expanding the country’s nuclear capabilities.
The military exercises follow an incident last week in which two South Korean KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight MK-82 bombs on a civilian area in Pocheon, a town near the North Korean border. The bombing injured around 30 people, including two seriously.
An initial investigation found that one of the pilots entered incorrect target coordinates and failed to verify them visually, while the second pilot followed instructions without recognizing the mistake. In response, the South Korean and US militaries temporarily suspended all live-fire exercises while an investigation is conducted.
General Lee Youngsu, chief of staff of South Korea’s Air Force, publicly apologized for the incident, emphasizing that such mistakes “should never happen again.”
The situation on the Korean Peninsula remains tense, with North Korea continuing to oppose US-South Korea military cooperation. While Washington and Seoul maintain that their exercises are defensive in nature, Pyongyang sees them as a direct threat. North Korea has not responded to diplomatic overtures from US President Donald Trump during his second term and continues to emphasize the expansion of its military capabilities.
The Associated Press, Reuters, Al Jazeera, and ABC News contributed to this report.
