North Korea fires missiles after South Korea-US-Japan drill

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, a day after South Korea, the United States and Japan concluded a five-day trilateral military exercise.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected multiple ballistic missiles launched from the Wonsan area at about 5:20 a.m. The missiles flew approximately 250 kilometres before falling into the sea, while South Korean and U.S. authorities were analysing their precise specifications.

South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies had been monitoring North Korea’s movements from an early stage and shared relevant information with Japan, the JCS said.

“Our military is closely monitoring North Korea’s various movements under a firm South Korea-U.S. defence posture, and maintains the capabilities and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocations,” it said.

Sources said North Korea appeared to have fired ballistic missiles from its Hwasong-11 series as well as rounds from 600-millimetre multiple rocket launchers in successive launches on several occasions.

The latest launch came one day after Seoul, Washington and Tokyo wrapped up their Freedom Edge exercise on Friday. The five-day drill was conducted in international waters east and south of South Korea’s southern island of Jeju.

The exercise was part of efforts by the three countries to strengthen military cooperation amid growing concerns over North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.

By Tamilla Hasanova