North Korea launched multiple unidentified ballistic missiles on Monday, South Korea’s military confirmed, coinciding with the start of the annual joint military exercise between Seoul and Washington, known as Freedom Shield.
At approximately 13:50 (0450 GMT), the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that several missiles were fired from Hwanghae province into the West Sea (Yellow Sea).
“Our military has detected the launches and is maintaining full readiness and heightened surveillance in close coordination with the United States,” the JCS said in a statement.
The U.S. maintains tens of thousands of troops in South Korea, and the two nations frequently conduct joint drills, which they emphasize are defensive in nature. However, North Korea views these exercises as preparations for invasion and typically responds with its own weapons tests.
Earlier Monday, Pyongyang condemned the drills as “provocative,” warning that they could trigger war with a single “accidental shot.”
“This is a dangerous act of provocation that could escalate the already tense situation on the Korean Peninsula, potentially igniting a physical conflict,” North Korea’s foreign ministry said, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
The “Freedom Shield 2025” drills, which began Monday, will include live, virtual, and field-based training, according to a U.S. statement. The exercises are set to continue until March 20.
This military activity follows an incident on March 6, when two South Korean Air Force fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a village during a joint exercise with U.S. forces. The bombing left 31 people wounded, including both civilians and military personnel, according to South Korea’s military.
Tensions between North and South Korea are at one of their lowest points in years, exacerbated by North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches in defiance of UN sanctions. The two Koreas remain technically at war, as their 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Freedom Shield is one of the largest annual joint exercises between the U.S. and South Korea. North Korea has labeled the drills as “aggressive and confrontational,” and last week condemned the U.S. for what it called “political and military provocations” following the visit of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier to the South Korean port of Busan.
AFP
