After US military exercise

North Korea fired several ballistic missiles

Symbol image(Bild: AFP/JUNG YEON-JE)

According to South Korean reports, North Korea fired a series of ballistic missiles on Monday. The unidentified projectiles flew in the direction of the Yellow Sea, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing the army in Seoul.

The launch came after North Korea sharply criticized the joint military exercises of the USA and South Korea.

North Korea: military exercises a "dangerous provocative act"
The North Korean Foreign Ministry condemned the exercises as a provocation. An accidental shot could lead to a direct confrontation with North Korea, the foreign ministry said on Monday, according to the state news agency KCNA. The military exercises would also affect US security, it said. "This is a dangerous provocative act that will aggravate the acute situation on the Korean peninsula and could trigger a direct conflict between the two sides with a single accidental shot."

Protesters demand an end to the "Freedom Shield" military exercise between South Korea and the USA(Bild: AP/Lee Jin-man)

The annual joint South Korean and US "Freedom Shield" military exercises are scheduled to continue until March 20. However, exercises involving live ammunition were suspended after two South Korean jets accidentally dropped bombs on a South Korean town near the border last week. At least 29 people were injured. The military launched an investigation. According to the Yonhap news agency, local residents were taken to safety to search for possible unexploded ordnance.

Air force chief Lee Young-su apologized on Monday for the "unprecedented accident". "It was an accident that should never have happened and must never happen again," Lee told reporters. The South Korean military said the joint military exercises strengthened the alliance's preparedness against threats such as North Korea.