North Korea launches missiles while US and South Korea begin joint military exercises
Pyongyang referred to the war games as a ‘dangerous provocative act’ that could potentially ‘trigger a physical conflict.’
North Korea has launched multiple missiles off its west coast, coinciding with the commencement of annual joint military drills between the United States and South Korea, as reported by Seoul’s military.
The projectiles were fired around 1:50 p.m. local time, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in a message sent to reporters.
State media in North Korea criticized the drills being conducted by the United States and its ally South Korea, expressing concerns that they could escalate into a conflict.
“This is a dangerous provocative act that raises tensions on the Korean peninsula and could lead to a physical conflict between the two sides through an accidental single shot, pushing to the extreme,” stated North Korea’s foreign ministry, as reported by state media outlet KCNA.
The ministry also highlighted that the drills would jeopardize U.S. security interests.
Live-Fire Exercises Suspended
Despite this, live-fire exercises were paused following an incident where South Korean fighter jets inadvertently dropped bombs on a civilian area.
The military assured that this mishap would not impact the major joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States starting on Monday.
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