On March 10, 2025, the South Korean military reported that North Korea had launched multiple ballistic missiles near its western coast area while the United States and South Korea were conducting their annual joint military exercises.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated on March 10 that the North Korean military had launched several ballistic missiles of unidentified types from the inland area of the Yellow Sea towards the western sea area that afternoon.
According to a message sent to reporters by the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, these missiles were launched towards the vicinity of the west coast around 1:50 pm.
On the same day, South Korea and the United States officially began their annual joint military exercise named “Freedom Shield”.
The JCS of South Korea had previously indicated that the “Freedom Shield” joint military exercise was aimed at enhancing deterrence against North Korea and would continue until March 20.
In a message to reporters, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that South Korea had strengthened its monitoring of North Korean military activities and maintained a high level of vigilance in close cooperation with the United States.
The last missile launch by North Korea occurred on January 14 of this year. This launch also marks the first ballistic missile launch by North Korea since the Trump administration took office.
Analysts suggest that North Korea’s missile launch this time may be a test of the Trump administration’s policies towards North Korea, and it could also be a response to the joint South Korea-US military exercise “Freedom Shield”.
(This article referenced reports from Yonhap News Agency and Reuters)