SEOUL, August 21 – North Korea’s military fired around 10 short-range ballistic missiles from its eastern coast toward the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s military said on Thursday.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launches from the area around Pyongyang and was analyzing details including the missiles’ flight ranges and trajectories.
The JCS said it was maintaining heightened surveillance for any additional missile launches.
South Korea, the United States and Japan are also sharing information about the latest North Korean missile launches, according to reports.
North Korea last conducted a ballistic missile launch on August 12.
The latest launches came amid the ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States. The exercise was shortened and scaled back to run through August 21 following US President Donald Trump’s remarks on reducing the scope of the drills.
A day before the latest launches, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed the significance of Trump’s announcement to reduce the scale and duration of the joint exercise.
Kim Yo Jong said that even if the scope or duration of the drills was reduced, their fundamental nature remained unchanged, describing the exercises as provocative and aggressive.
North Korea has long opposed joint military exercises involving South Korea and the United States, arguing that they are preparations for an invasion. Seoul and Washington, however, maintain that the drills are defensive in nature.
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