North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday, just hours after South Korea and the US launched the first major joint military exercises of President Donald Trump's second term.
The South Korean chairman said missile fire had been detected in southwest Hanser province north. The weapon was described as close range, and accordingly said South Korean troops have strengthened their surveillance stance and are coordinating closely with the US.
“We are aware of the launch of multiple ballistic missiles from the DPRK and are in close consultation with allies and partners in the Republic of South Korea and Japan, as well as other regions. The United States has condemned these actions against the DPRK and calls for them to refrain from further illegal and horrifying behavior.” “We have evaluated the event as not pose an immediate threat to US officials, territory or allies, but we continue to monitor the situation.
The launch comes after South Korean and US troops began their annual Free Shield exercise on Monday.
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The missiles fly during what North Korean state media said was a test of a new mid-range, frigid ballistic missile at a private location on January 6th. (Reuters/kcna)
“Freedom Shield is an 11-day movement conducted by South Korea and the US, and consists of training that reflects the Korean operational theatre. It is a combined, collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and interagency operating environment,” according to the US Army.
“The field training events throughout the FS25 include urban combat operations, field hospital operations, treatment and evacuation of mass casualties, field artillery, air force attacks, wet gap crossings, air defense artillery deployment and verification, and joint assault with the US Marines,” the Army added.
However, North Korea's Foreign Ministry calls the exercise “a rehearsal of an offensive and conflicting war.”
“Despite repeated warnings from the DPRK, the US and South Korea are set to stage large joint military exercises, a dangerous and provocative act that promotes the acute situation in the Korean Peninsula where reports of single accidental guns on the Korean Peninsula can lead to physical conflicts beyond extreme limits.
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US soldiers prepare to cross the Hantan River on Monday, March 10th at a training ground in Yongcheon, South Korea, near the border with North Korea. (AP/Ahn Young-Joon)
This year's training comes after a South Korean KF-16 fighter jet accidentally dropped a bomb in a civilian area during a live-action training exercise with the United States on Thursday, causing multiple people to be injured and several buildings, including three homes and a Catholic church.
South Korean media reported that the accident occurred in Pocheon, a city near the critical border with North Korea. About 30 people were injured, two of whom became serious.
The initial assessment from the South Korean Air Force was that one of the KF-16 pilots entered the wrong coordinates and could not visually verify the target before proceeding with the bombing. The second pilot had the correct coordinates, but according to the latest briefing provided to the Associated Press, he focused only on maintaining the formation of the flight, dropping the bomb at the instructions of the first pilot, without realizing that the target was wrong.
People are watching a television screen showing news broadcasts in file footage from North Korea's missile tests at a station in Seoul on March 10, 2025. North Korea fired “multiple unidentified ballistic missiles” on March 10, South Korean military said Seoul and Washington had launched major annual joint military training known as the Free Shield. (Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images)
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General Lee Youngs, the South Korean Air Force Chief of Staff, bowed and apologised Monday for injuries and property damage caused by the bombing.
Fox News' Bradford Betz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
