SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired multiple suspected ballistic missiles into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula on Thursday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said..
The launches came hours after North Korea accused the United States and South Korea of planning joint military drills aimed at practicing an invasion, and as U.S. and South Korean officials expressed escalating concern over North Korea’s expanding nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs..
The Joint Chiefs of Staff did not immediately provide details on the number or type of missiles fired on Thursday or how far they flew..
“Our military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance and is maintaining a full readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States,” the South Korean military said in a statement..
The Japanese Coast Guard also issued a warning to ships about possible ballistic missile launches..
The launches came after North Korea accused the United States and South Korea of planning joint military drills aimed at practicing an invasion. The drills are scheduled to begin next month..
North Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the drills would “further escalate the already high tensions on the Korean Peninsula and destroy the hope for a peaceful solution.”.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment..
North Korea has conducted a record number of missile tests this year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles that could potentially reach the United States..
U.S. and South Korean officials have expressed escalating concern over North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, which they say pose a growing threat to regional and global security..
In May, North Korea conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile test since 2017. The test was widely seen as a major escalation in tensions on the Korean Peninsula..
U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met in May and agreed to enhance their security cooperation in response to the North Korean threat..
The Biden administration has also been working with other countries in the region, including Japan and Australia, to build a stronger deterrence against North Korea..
North Korea has defended its missile tests as necessary for its self-defense and has accused the United States and South Korea of escalating tensions on the朝鮮半島。.
The United States and South Korea have repeatedly urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and return to negotiations on denuclearization..
North Korea has rejected those calls, saying that it will not give up its nuclear weapons until the United States removes its troops from South Korea and ends its “hostile policy” toward the North..
The situation on the Korean Peninsula remains volatile and there is concern that North Korea could conduct further missile tests or even a nuclear test in the coming weeks or months..
