North Korea fires ballistic missiles toward sea after rivals’ military drill it sees as provocation

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Saturday, its neighbors said, a day after the U.S., South Korea and Japan ended their trilateral military drill that North Korea views as a provocation.

North Korea’s ballistic missile launches, the first in about three weeks, came as the country was continuing its weapons display after rebuffing U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back a major bilateral military drill with South Korea in a goodwill gesture.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launches of several missiles from North Korea’s eastern coastal Wonsan area. It said the missiles flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles) each in a direction toward North Korea’s eastern waters. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had boosted its surveillance posture and was closely exchanging information on the launches with the U.S. and Japan.

South Korea’s presidential national security council issued a statement urging North Korea to halt ballistic missile firings that violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.

The U.S. Pacific Command said the North’s launch event didn’t pose an immediate threat to U.S. territory or to its allies. It said the U.S. remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and its allies in the region.

On Friday, the U.S., South Korea and Japan ended their five-day Freedom Edge exercise as scheduled. The U.S. Pacific Command said the militaries of the three countries “trained side by side across air, sea and cyber domains, sharpening the interoperability that keeps the region secure.” It cited maritime maneuvers, air refueling, cyber coordination and medical drills.

South Korea’s military earlier said the exercise is defensive in nature and meant to enhance a joint response capability against North Korean nuclear threats.

Hours after the trilateral exercise began Monday, North Korean Defense Minister Kim Song Gi slammed the drill as “provocative” and threatened to take “strong and reflective countermeasures from the standpoint of power.”

On Sunday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for building a more reliable nuclear deterrent in a ceremony marking the commissioning of the country’s second naval destroyer. North Korea has said its two destroyers can carry nuclear-capable missiles. The second destroyer was damaged during a botched launch last year, but it was relaunched after repairs.

Kim has been focusing on expanding his nuclear arsenal after his high-stakes diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019. Trump last month ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise with South Korea. He cited what he called a good relationship with Kim, who has called the drill an invasion rehearsal.

But Kim’s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, rebuffed Trump’s move, saying just shortening the drill won’t change its “provocative, aggressive nature.” North Korea’s military later launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea, apparently following through with its previous threat to respond to the U.S.-South Korean drill.

Now apparently emboldened by his advancing nuclear program and deepened ties with Russia and China, experts say Kim will likely aim to win greater U.S. concessions in potential diplomacy with the U.S. Kim Jong Un said earlier this year that he could return to talks if the U.S. drops its “hostile policy” against his country and respects what he calls the North’s status as a nuclear state.

Hyung-jin Kim, The Associated Press