North Korea fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea on Thursday, hours after US President Donald Trump said he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched from the Pyongyang area at around 5:00pm and travelled approximately 300 kilometres.
South Korean and US authorities were conducting further analysis to determine the precise specifications of the missiles.
The launches came as South Korea and the United States conduct a scaled-down version of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises.
Pyongyang has repeatedly condemned joint US-South Korean military exercises, describing them as preparations for a possible invasion. North Korea has frequently responded to such drills with missile tests.
Trump had announced his intention to meet Kim during comments at the White House on Wednesday, saying he wanted to revive the relationship he claimed to have established with the North Korean leader during his first term.
Trump also said it was important for the two countries to “get along” and claimed North Korea now possesses 57 nuclear weapons. South Korean estimates put the figure at between 80 and 120.
Following the missile launches, South Korea’s presidential office convened an emergency security meeting and condemned the tests as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The office also ordered the military to maintain heightened readiness.
Trump’s renewed focus on Kim and the reduction of the US-South Korean military exercises have raised concerns among some US allies in Asia, while also generating speculation about Washington’s broader foreign policy strategy.
Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s powerful sister, said on Wednesday that Kim had “good memories and feelings” about Trump and described the relationship between the two leaders as “excellent”.
She added, however, that she was not aware of any current communication between them.
The latest missile launches came hours before South Korea announced that the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises would end on Friday, approximately a week earlier than originally scheduled, following a suggestion from the US side.
The Pentagon said the shortened exercises would not reduce US training objectives.
The annual drills are designed to strengthen preparations for a potential attack by North Korea. The United States maintains about 28,500 troops in South Korea as part of its defence commitment to Seoul.
South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Seoul remained opposed to formally recognising North Korea as a nuclear-weapon state.
President Lee Jae Myung also said he would support Trump’s efforts to pursue peace with North Korea, promising to do his utmost to assist diplomatic efforts.
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