International-News

North Korea launches ballistic missiles during joint US-South Korean exercises

Pyongyang denounces ‘provocative’ manoeuvres and warns of risk of conflict

On the day of the start of the joint Freedom Shield exercises between the US and South Korea, North Korea launched several ballistic missiles in the direction of the Yellow Sea. The South Korean military detected the launch of unidentified missiles from Hwanghae province around 1.50pm local time. No further details on the number or type of missiles launched were provided at the time.

Seoul confirmed that it has stepped up surveillance in cooperation with the US, while some 19,000 South Korean troops are engaged in military exercises until 20 March. For Pyongyang, these manoeuvres represent a ‘dangerous’ and ‘provocative’ act, capable of triggering a conflict with a single incident. The North Korean Foreign Ministry expressed its condemnation, accusing the US of wanting to push the Korean peninsula towards an ‘uncontrollable phase’.

According to South Korean media, this is North Korea’s first missile test since Donald Trump took office in the White House. Pyongyang accuses Washington of perpetuating a structure of tension and provocation through military manoeuvres that reflect a ‘confrontation hysteria’ and an attempt to dominate the Asia-Pacific region.

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