North Korea fires ballistic missiles as US-South Korea war games begin

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North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles on Monday as joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises commenced, escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the launches, stating that the missiles were fired from Hwanghae Province at approximately 1:50 p.m. local time and directed inland toward the West Sea. The South Korean military responded by increasing surveillance and maintaining a heightened readiness posture in close coordination with U.S. forces.

The missile tests coincided with the start of *Freedom Shield*, the annual U.S.-South Korea military drills scheduled to run through March 21. The exercises, which involve American and South Korean troops, include urban combat training, field hospital operations, field artillery exercises, air assault training, and air defense drills. The U.S. Marine Corps is also participating in a joint assault exercise.

North Korea condemned the war games, calling them an act of provocation. In a statement issued to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sunday, Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry warned that the drills could escalate tensions to a dangerous level. “The U.S. random exercise of strength will result in aggravated security crisis,” the ministry stated. “This is a dangerous provocative act of leading the acute situation on the Korean peninsula, which may spark off a physical conflict between the two sides by means of an accidental single shot, to the extreme point.”

While North Korea has frequently launched missile tests in response to joint U.S.-South Korea exercises, the latest launches underscore the fragile state of security in the region. Both Seoul and Washington insist the drills are defensive in nature, but Pyongyang views them as rehearsals for invasion. With military activity intensifying on both sides, concerns are growing over the potential for miscalculation in an already volatile standoff.