North Korea has launched multiple unidentified ballistic missiles, according to South Korea’s military. This comes on the same day as the start of the annual joint military exercise “Freedom Shield” between the United States and South Korea. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated that the missiles were fired from North Korea’s Hwanghae Province towards the Yellow Sea.
The JCS further stated that the military forces would enhance surveillance and remain on full alert in close coordination with the U.S. The U.S. has deployed thousands of troops in South Korea and the two countries regularly conduct joint military drills, which they claim are defensive. However, North Korea considers these drills preparations for an attack and continues to conduct weapons tests in response.
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry called the drills “provocative” and warned that they could increase the risk of war. The ministry, citing the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), described the exercises as a dangerous provocative act that could unintentionally trigger war.
The joint drills will continue until March 20 and will include live, virtual, and field-based training. On March 6, two South Korean fighter jets, during a joint exercise with the U.S., accidentally dropped eight bombs on a village, injuring 31 people, including civilians and military personnel.
Relations between North and South Korea have deteriorated to their lowest point in years. Last year, North Korea conducted multiple ballistic missile tests, violating UN sanctions. The two Koreas have been in an armistice since the Korean War (1950-1953).
“Freedom Shield” is one of the largest joint military exercises between the two countries, which North Korea has labeled as “aggressive and war-oriented.” The visit of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier to the South Korean port city of Busan last week prompted Pyongyang to accuse Washington of “political and military provocation.”