News Desk
PYONGYANG: North Korea fired more than ten ballistic missiles into the sea on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, as US and South Korean forces conducted joint military drills and US President Donald Trump renewed overtures for dialogue with Pyongyang.
Japan’s coast guard reported detecting what could have been a ballistic missile that fell into the sea. It appeared to have landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, NHK said, citing military sources.
The missiles were launched from an area near the capital, Pyongyang, around 1:20 pm towards the sea off the country’s east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. North Korea has test-launched a wide range of ballistic and cruise missiles for more than two decades, in a push to develop the capability to deliver nuclear weapons, which it is believed to have successfully built.
As a result, Pyongyang has been under multiple UN Security Council sanctions since 2006. It remains defiant, despite the severe impact these measures have had on its trade, economy, and defence. This week, South Korea and Washington launched their annual major drills, which they said are purely defensive and designed to test readiness against potential threats from North Korea.
On Saturday, hundreds of US and South Korean troops carried out river-crossing exercises, using tanks and armored combat vehicles under the oversight of the commander of their combined forces. The US military maintains about 28,500 troops in South Korea, along with squadrons of fighter jets.
