Seoul: North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Saturday, as reported by South Korea's military, just a day after South Korea, the United States, and Japan concluded their trilateral military exercise. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected the missile launches from the Wonsan area around 5:20 a.m., though further details were not disclosed.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean military has increased surveillance to monitor potential additional launches and remains on "full alert," sharing relevant information with the U.S. and Japan. This recent launch followed the conclusion of the five-day Freedom Edge exercise conducted by Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo in international waters off South Korea's southern island of Jeju.
Despite the scaled-back Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise last month, ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump, the drills proceeded as planned. Trump directed the reduction of joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S. to avoid sending a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea, citing the exercises' cost.
The missile launch occurred after North Korean Defense Minister Kim Song-gi criticized the trilateral exercise earlier in the week, pledging "reflective countermeasures." Kim's statement warned of strong countermeasures from North Korea if the U.S. and its allies provoked a new military confrontation, using the acronym DPRK for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
North Korea previously launched short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on August 20 during the allies' annual UFS drills. The North has consistently condemned joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington as invasion rehearsals, responding with weapons tests in protest.
The latest missile launch comes ahead of a significant summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, anticipated to take place in Washington, D.C., later this month. North Korea-related issues are expected to be part of the agenda for the upcoming Trump-Xi meeting.