North Korea fires unidentified projectile toward sea, Seoul says

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s military said Saturday it detected North Korea firing at least one projectile toward its eastern sea.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t immediately say whether the weapon was ballistic or how far it flew.

The launch came as the United States and South Korea conduct their annual springtime joint military exercises involving thousands of troops while the Trump administration also wages an escalating war against Iran.

The North has long described the allies’ drills as invasion rehearsals and often uses them as a pretext to dial up its own military demonstrations or weapons testing.

The launch came days after the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday criticized Washington and Seoul for proceeding with their drills at a perilous moment for global security, and warned that any challenge to the North’s safety would bring “terrible consequences.”

The 11-day Freedom Shield exercise, which runs through March 19, is one of two annual command post exercises conducted by the militaries of the United States and South Korea.

The largely computer-simulated drills are designed to test the allies’ joint operational capabilities, while incorporating evolving war scenarios and security challenges.

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Freedom Shield will be accompanied by a field training program called Warrior Shield.

North Korea has repeatedly rejected Washington and Seoul’s calls to resume diplomacy aimed at winding down its nuclear program. Talks derailed in 2019 following the collapse of Kim’s second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term.

Kim has made Russia the priority of his foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for aid and military technology.