North Korea Launches Short Ballistic Missiles After Trilateral Drills

North Korea launched multiple short ballistic missiles toward waters off its east coast on Saturday, according to South Korean military monitoring. The launches came a day after the United States, South Korea and Japan completed joint military exercises that Pyongyang had publicly condemned as a threat to its security.

The missiles were fired toward the East Sea, the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. No further details on the number of projectiles, their flight distance or altitude were immediately available.

The trilateral drills, which wrapped up on Friday, involved the three countries' naval and air forces. North Korea has consistently opposed such exercises, viewing them as rehearsals for an invasion and a violation of its sovereignty.

Saturday's launches mark the latest in a series of weapons tests by Pyongyang this year. The Korean Peninsula remains technically in a state of war, with the two Koreas separated by a heavily fortified border since the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

Regional powers have yet to issue formal responses to the latest firings. The United States, South Korea and Japan have previously responded to North Korean missile activity with joint shows of force and calls for Pyongyang to return to denuclearization talks, which have been stalled for years.