North Korea fires projectile into eastern waters after trilateral drill ends
North Korea launched an unidentified projectile into waters off its east coast on Saturday, a day after a five-day U.S.-South Korea-Japan military exercise concluded.
North Korea fired an unidentified projectile toward the sea on Saturday morning, South Korea's military said, marking the latest in a series of weapons demonstrations by Pyongyang.
The launch took place in waters off North Korea's east coast, according to the South Korean military, which did not provide additional information about the projectile.
The firing came one day after the United States, South Korea and Japan wrapped up a five-day joint military exercise that North Korea has condemned as a security threat.
South Korea's military has described the Freedom Edge exercise as defensive in nature, aimed at strengthening the three countries' combined response capabilities against North Korean nuclear threats.
Hours after the drills began on Monday, North Korean Defence Minister Kim Song Gi issued a statement criticising the exercise. He warned that Pyongyang was prepared to take "strong and reflective countermeasures from the standpoint of power."
The Saturday launch adds to tensions on the Korean Peninsula, where North Korea has repeatedly responded to joint military activities by the three allies with its own show of force.