North Korea fires ballistic missiles as US-South Korea conduct military drills | the news

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff say Pyongyang launched about 10 ballistic missiles.

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles from its west coast as the United States and South Korean forces conducted their annual military exercises, according to Japanese and South Korean defense forces.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday that the missiles were fired at 1:34 pm local time (04:34 GMT) in a northeasterly direction, according to a statement posted on X.

Japan estimated the missiles reached a maximum altitude of 80 kilometers (50 miles) and flew about 340 kilometers before landing near the east coast of the Korean peninsula outside Tokyo’s exclusive economic zone.

Initial reports indicate no damage was reported by nearby aircraft or ships, the Post said.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff separately confirmed that Pyongyang fired approximately 10 ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of ​​Japan, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The JCS said the incident marks the third time North Korea has launched a ballistic missile since the start of the year.

South Korean, Japanese and US forces are “in a heightened surveillance posture against additional launches,” the South Korean news agency said.

Pyongyang fires missiles and other projectiles to signal its anger at its neighbors.

Saturday’s launches come as the world focuses on a war raging in the Middle East fueled by US-Israel attacks on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes across the region.

Earlier this week the North protested the start of the 10-day Freedom Shield exercises, which will involve thousands of troops from South Korea and the US and run until March 19.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused Seoul and Washington of “destabilizing” the Korean Peninsula and “flexing their muscles” near its border with a show of military might.

Earlier this week, North Korea fired cruise missiles from a new naval destroyer.

The latest ballistic missile launches follow renewed speculation that US President Donald Trump may meet with Kim. The two leaders held summits during Trump’s first term — while spectacularly high-profile, they yielded no substantial progress. They met three times. In their last meeting in 2019, the two leaders visited the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean Peninsula.

South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said Friday that Trump “remains positive about resuming dialogue” with the North on the sidelines of a meeting between the two leaders in Washington, according to Yonhap.

“He said, ‘Meeting (Kim) is something good. But it may come during my visit to China. It may not happen (during the visit) or it may happen later,'” the prime minister told Yonhap reporters.