Seoul: North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the Yellow Sea on Monday, South Korea's military reported, coinciding with the commencement of joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington. This marks North Korea's first ballistic missile test since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected the missile launch from an area near Hwangju in North Hwanghae Province at approximately 1:50 p.m. The launch possibly involved close-range ballistic missiles (CRBMs), which have a range of less than 300 kilometers. The JCS emphasized enhanced surveillance and maintained a full readiness posture in partnership with the United States.
The annual Freedom Shield exercise, a joint military drill between South Korea and the U.S., began on the same day and is scheduled to last for 11 days. North Korea has consistently criticized these joint exercises, viewing them as preparations for an invasion, and has previously conducted weapons tests in response.
In response to the drills, North Korea issued statements condemning the exercises, warning that Seoul and Washington would face severe consequences for what it termed a "dangerous provocative act." Earlier in the day, North Korea's foreign ministry labeled the joint exercises as a "dangerous provocative act" and predicted an "aggravated security crisis."
Both South Korea and the U.S. have dismissed North Korea's claims of invasion rehearsals, maintaining that their joint military exercises are purely defensive. North Korea's last missile activity involved the firing of multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on January 14.