North Korea Launches About 10 Ballistic Missiles Amid Joint United States – South Korea Military Drills

North Korea on Saturday launched around 10 ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan, according to South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff, heightening tensions as joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States continue.

The South Korean military said the missiles were fired from the Sunan area near Pyongyang at about 1:20 p.m. local time and travelled roughly 350 kilometres toward the East Sea, the name used by Seoul for the Sea of Japan.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, authorities in South Korea and the United States are analysing the missiles’ specifications while maintaining readiness for possible further provocations.

The military added that it remains prepared to “respond overwhelmingly” to any threats.

Japan also confirmed the launches, with its defence ministry reporting that the missiles reached a maximum altitude of about 80 kilometres before landing outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone near the Korean Peninsula’s eastern coast.

South Korea’s presidential office, the Blue House, condemned the missile launches as a provocation that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions and called on Pyongyang to immediately halt such actions.

Authorities also directed relevant agencies to remain on heightened alert, noting that the launches occurred during the ongoing joint military drills between the United States and South Korea.

The missile tests came hours after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said Donald Trump believed a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be beneficial.

For decades, Washington has led international efforts to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear programme through sanctions, diplomatic pressure and negotiations, though progress has remained limited.

The Trump administration has recently pushed to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang and is reportedly considering a possible summit with Kim Jong-un later this year, potentially during Trump’s planned visit to Beijing in late March.

Trump had earlier stated during a visit to Asia in October that he was “100 percent” open to meeting the North Korean leader, although Pyongyang did not immediately respond to the overture.

After months of silence, Kim Jong-un recently suggested that relations between the two countries could improve if Washington recognised North Korea’s nuclear status.