North Korea Launches Missiles as US-South Korea Military Drills Begin

Pyongyang condemns Freedom Shield exercises as provocative, warning of potential conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the Yellow Sea on Monday, coinciding with the start of the annual Freedom Shield military drills by the US and South Korea.
The missile launches mark North Korea's fifth test this year and the first since Donald Trump began his second term as US president in January.
Pyongyang denounced the joint drills as a rehearsal for invasion and warned of the risk of accidental conflict escalating into war.
The Freedom Shield exercises, running until March 20, include simulated and field training across land, air, and sea, with participation from 19,000 South Korean personnel and US forces.
The drills resumed after a pause caused by an incident last week where South Korean fighter jets mistakenly bombed a civilian area, injuring at least 30 people.