North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles day after trilateral drills end

North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Saturday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, a day after the United States, South Korea and Japan wrapped up a five-day trilateral military exercise that Pyongyang has criticized as provocative.

What do we know about the launches?

The missiles were fired from North Korea's eastern Wonsan area and traveled roughly 250 kilometers before landing in the country's eastern waters, South Korea's military said. 

According to the Yonhap news agency, the North appears to have launched its Hwasong-11 series ballistic missiles alongside rounds from 600-millimeter multiple rocket launchers, with the two systems fired in succession across multiple instances, sources told the outlet.

The JCS said it had increased surveillance and was coordinating closely with the US and Japan. Meanwhile, South Korea's presidential national security council called on North Korea to halt launches that violate United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The US Pacific Command said the launches did not pose an immediate threat to American territory or regional allies, reaffirming Washington's defense commitments in the region. 

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What did the US-Korea drills entail?

The trilateral drills that preceded the launches, known as Freedom Edge, involved joint training across air, sea and cyber domains, including maritime maneuvers, air refueling and cyber coordination. 

South Korea's military has described the exercises as defensive, intended to strengthen a coordinated response to North Korean nuclear threats.

North Korean Defense Minister Kim Song Gi had denounced the drills as "provocative" when they began earlier this week, threatening unspecified "strong and reflective countermeasures." 

Saturday's launch marked North Korea's first missile test in roughly three weeks, following a similar barrage of more than 10 short-range missiles last month during a separate round of US-South Korea exercises.

Has South Korea's relationship with the US changed?

The launches also come amid a broader shift in the security dynamic on the Korean Peninsula. 

Last month, President Donald Trump ordered a significant scaling back of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise with South Korea, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who has long described the drills as rehearsals for invasion. 

But Kim's sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, dismissed the gesture, saying a shortened drill would not change its "provocative, aggressive nature." 

Last Sunday, Kim Jong Un used a ceremony marking the commissioning of North Korea's second naval destroyer to call for expanding the country's nuclear deterrent. Both of the country's destroyers are said to be capable of carrying nuclear-capable missiles.

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The Associated Press experts say Pyongyang's leader, bolstered by his advancing weapons program and closer ties with Moscow and Beijing, may be positioning himself to extract greater concessions in potential talks with Washington. 

Kim has said he would consider returning to negotiations if the US drops what he calls its "hostile policy" and recognizes North Korea's status as a nuclear state.

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez

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