North Korea Fires Ballistic Missiles During US-South Korea Drills

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles from its west coast on Saturday, March 14, 2026, during ongoing joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea.

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12 News KPNX

According to Japanese and South Korean defense forces, the missiles were launched at approximately 1:34pm local time from the Sunan area near Pyongyang's international airport.

Al Jazeera

Japan's Ministry of Defence reported that the missiles reached a maximum altitude of 80 kilometers and traveled approximately 340 kilometers before landing outside Japan's exclusive economic zone near the east coast of the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed detecting around ten unidentified ballistic missiles, with Straight Arrow News reporting they traveled about 220 miles.

Early assessments from both countries indicated no damage to nearby aircraft or ships, though authorities continued analyzing the technical specifications of the projectiles.

The missile launches came amid the annual 'Freedom Shield' military exercises between the United States and South Korea, which Pyongyang has long described as 'invasion rehearsals.'

North Korea's powerful leader Kim Yo-jong had issued warnings earlier in the week, stating that the joint drills could cause 'terrible and unimaginable consequences' and undermine regional stability.

Associated Press

She criticized the exercises as occurring at 'a critical time when global security structure is collapsing rapidly and wars break out in different parts of the world.'

The launches represented a direct challenge to the ongoing military drills, which involve about 18,000 South Korean troops and are computer-simulated command post exercises designed to test allies' joint operational capabilities.

Despite being under multiple UN Security Council sanctions since 2006, North Korea has remained defiant, frequently displaying its anger at such exercises by conducting military demonstrations and weapons testing.

The missile launches occurred just hours after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss renewed diplomacy with Pyongyang.

“North Korea fires about 10 missiles toward sea in show of force, Seoul says North Korea fires about 10 missiles toward sea in show of force, Seoul says SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Saturday fired about 10 ballistic missiles toward the eastern sea, South Korea’s military said, staging its own show of force as the rival South conducts a joint military exercise with the United States”

Associated Press

Kim Min-seok reported that Trump believed a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be 'a good thing,' with the U.S. president suggesting such a meeting could potentially occur during his planned visit to China in late March or early April.

Despite these diplomatic overtures, North Korea has recently dashed hopes for a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, describing its latest peace efforts as a 'clumsy, deceptive farce.'

After largely ignoring Trump's overtures for months, Kim Jong-un recently indicated that the two nations could 'get along' if Washington accepted Pyongyang's nuclear status.

The Trump administration has been actively pushing to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, considering a possible summit with Kim Jong-un this year, though previous summits, sanctions, and diplomatic pressure have had little impact on North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

The timing and scale of the missile launches appear to be deliberate attention-grabbing maneuvers by Pyongyang, according to military analysts.

Hong Sung-pyo, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, noted that 'Global attention is currently focused on the war in the Middle East, and North Korea has historically carried out military provocations when it wants to draw attention to its presence.'

DW

North Korea has been actively developing its nuclear weapons capabilities for over two decades, test-launching a wide range of ballistic and cruise missiles to develop the means to deliver nuclear weapons.

The country has recently intensified its naval capabilities, conducting tests from naval vessels and claiming to be 'arming the Navy with nuclear weapons.'

Analysts suggest these actions may be aimed at demonstrating that North Korea could inflict unacceptable damage if its naval forces come under attack, especially after observing U.S. capabilities against Iran.

Despite international condemnation and sanctions, North Korea remains defiant, continuing its military buildup while simultaneously engaging in diplomatic posturing with the United States.