North Korea fired about 10 ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, staging its own show of force as the rival South conducts joint military exercises with the United States.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, but did not immediately say how far they had traveled. Japan’s defense ministry said the weapons landed in waters outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.
The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military has stepped up surveillance and maintains readiness against possible further launches, while closely sharing information with the US and Japan.
The launches come as the US and South Korean militaries conduct their annual spring drills involving thousands of troops, while the Trump administration is also waging an escalating war in the Middle East.
The war has raised concerns about a possible security lapse in South Korea, as local media — citing security camera footage and other images — speculated that the U.S. was moving some missile defense assets stationed in the country to support operations against Iran.
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Asked by The Associated Press this week whether US Korean forces were moving anti-missile missiles from their high-altitude area defense terminal or THAAD system in Seongju to the Middle East, President Lee Jae-myung’s office said it could not confirm details of US military operations.
The agency said the potential redeployment of US military assets would not affect the allies’ defense posture against a nuclear-armed North Korea, while citing South Korea’s conventional military strength. It reacted similarly earlier to reports about the possible relocation of Patriot anti-missile defense systems from South Korea.
North Korea has long described the allied exercises as rehearsals for an invasion and often uses them as a pretext to dial up its own military demonstrations or weapons tests.
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The North has carried out a series of missile or artillery salvos in previous years, describing them as simulating nuclear strikes against targets in South Korea.
The launch came just days after the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un criticized Washington and Seoul on Tuesday for proceeding with their drills at a perilous time for global security, warning that any threat to the North’s security would have “terrible consequences.”
Without directly referring to the war in Iran, Kim Yo Jong said the U.S.-South Korean drills undermine regional stability at a time when the global security structure is “rapidly collapsing and wars will break out in various parts of the world due to the reckless actions of outrageous international scoundrels.”
North Korea’s foreign ministry issued separate statements condemning the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran and expressing support for Tehran’s new supreme leader, Mojtab Khamenei.
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The 11-day Freedom Shield exercise, which runs through March 19, is one of two annual command post exercises held by the US and South Korean militaries. The largely computer-simulated exercises are designed to test the allies’ joint operational capabilities while incorporating evolving war scenarios and security challenges. Freedom Shield will be accompanied by a field training program called Warrior Shield.
North Korea has repeatedly rejected calls from Washington and Seoul to resume diplomacy aimed at ending its nuclear program. Talks derailed in 2019 after the collapse of Kim Jong-un’s second summit with US President Donald Trump during his first term.
Kim has made Russia a foreign policy priority, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for aid and military technology.
