North Korea fires missiles as U.S.-South Korea drills begin

In a show of defiance, North Korea launched several ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday, hours after the U.S. and South Korea began their annual military drills. This marks North Korea’s fifth missile launch this year.

The missiles were fired from the Hwanghae province, with South Korea enhancing its surveillance and coordinating closely with the U.S. The U.S.-South Korea Freedom Shield exercise, which began earlier, is seen by North Korea as a rehearsal for invasion.

North Korea has warned that these drills could trigger “physical conflict” on the Korean Peninsula. Meanwhile, South Korea is investigating an accidental bombing incident last week, where fighter jets mistakenly dropped bombs on a civilian area, injuring 30. Both South Korean and U.S. forces have suspended live-fire training until the probe is completed.