North Korea Launches Ballistic Missiles in Response to US-South Korea Military Drills

By Staff, Agencies

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday, shortly after the United States and South Korea began their annual joint military exercises, which Pyongyang perceives as a rehearsal for invasion.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that the missiles were launched from North Korea’s southwestern Hwanghae province. While details on their range and trajectory were not immediately provided, South Korea has heightened its surveillance and is closely coordinating with the US in response.

The missile launch comes as South Korean and US forces kick off the Freedom Shield command post exercise, the first major joint training since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term. In anticipation of these drills, the two allies had already engaged in various field training exercises.

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Freedom Shield drills, warning that they could provoke a “physical conflict” on the Korean Peninsula. The ministry described the exercises as “an aggressive and confrontational war rehearsal” and reaffirmed leader Kim Jong Un’s commitment to significantly expanding the country’s nuclear arsenal in response to what he sees as growing threats from Washington and its regional allies.

This year’s drills follow an accidental bombing incident in South Korea, where two KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight MK-82 bombs on a civilian area in Pocheon, near the North Korean border, during a live-fire exercise last Thursday. The error left about 30 people injured, including two in serious condition.

An initial assessment by the South Korean Air Force suggested that one pilot had entered incorrect coordinates and failed to verify the target visually. Meanwhile, the second pilot, who had the correct coordinates, relied on the first pilot’s instructions without confirming the target himself.

On Monday, South Korean Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Youngsu issued a public apology, calling the incident “unacceptable” and vowing that such mistakes “must never happen again.”

In response to the mishap, both the South Korean and US militaries have suspended all live-fire drills in South Korea until an investigation is completed and new preventative measures are implemented.