Seoul/Tokyo, 14 March (H.S.): North Korea tested more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Saturday, coinciding with ongoing US-South Korea military exercises, prompting sharp condemnation from Seoul and Tokyo as an assault on regional sovereignty.
South Korea's military reported the launches from the Sunan area near Pyongyang around 1:20 PM local time, with Japan's Coast Guard confirming one missile likely fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. Japan convened an emergency crisis management meeting, while South Korea's Joint Chiefs heightened surveillance in coordination with the US and Japan, preparing for potential further launches.
The US and South Korea described their drills as purely defensive to bolster regional security, but Pyongyang has long branded them as rehearsals for invasion. Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, lambasted the exercises as destabilizing amid global tensions, warning of dire consequences for threatening North Korean security.
North Korea has pursued nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles for two decades, defying UN sanctions since 2006. Amid Middle East conflicts, experts warn these tests and drills risk igniting military escalation in East Asia.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
