by Admin
10/3/2025
North Korea launched multiple unidentified ballistic missiles on Monday. According to South Korea’s military, the actions of the North Korean military coincide with the start of the annual joint military exercise between Seoul and Washington, known as Freedom Shield.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that the missiles were fired from Hwanghae province at approximately 1:50 p.m. local time (0450 GMT) into the West Sea, also known as the Yellow Sea.
“Our military has detected multiple unidentified ballistic missiles fired from Hwanghae province into the West Sea,” the JCS stated.
“We will bolster surveillance and maintain a full readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States.”
The United States maintains a significant military presence in South Korea, with tens of thousands of troops stationed there.
The two allies have continuously conducted regular joint drills, which they insist are defensive.
However, North Korea perceives these exercises as rehearsals for invasion and often responds with missile tests and threats.
Earlier on Monday, Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, issued a statement that strongly condemned the drills, calling them a “provocative act” that could trigger war.
“This is a dangerous and provocative act that escalates tensions on the Korean Peninsula, increasing the risk of a physical conflict sparked by an accidental single shot,” North Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The Freedom Shield 2025 exercise, which began on Monday, will involve live, virtual, and field-based training, according to a statement from the United States military.
The exercise is scheduled to run for ten days until March 20.
The joint drills come in the wake of an accidental bombing incident involving South Korean and United States forces.
On March 6, two South Korean Air Force fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight bombs on a village during a joint training exercise, injuring 31 people, including both civilians and military personnel.
Relations between the two Koreas remain highly strained, with North Korea ramping up its ballistic missile launches last year in violation of the United Nations sanctions.
Since the Korean War (1950-1953) ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, the two nations technically remain at war.
The Freedom Shield exercise is one of the largest joint military operations conducted annually by the United States and South Korea.
In its latest statement, North Korea’s foreign ministry labeled the drills an “aggressive and confrontational war rehearsal.”
Pyongyang has repeatedly denounced US military activities in the region.
Last week, North Korea criticized Washington for what it described as “political and military provocations” following the visit of a United States Navy aircraft carrier to the South Korean port of Busan.
As tensions continue to mount, analysts warn that North Korea’s missile tests and aggressive rhetoric signal an effort to assert its military strength and push back against US-South Korea defense cooperation.