North Korea fires 10 ballistic missiles as US scales back joint South Korea military drills

North Korea reportedly fired ballistic missiles into the ocean Thursday despite the United States and South Korea agreeing to scale back their joint military drills.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles, which appeared to come from around its capital at approximately 5 p.m. local time, and the missiles flew about 300 kilometers toward North Korea’s eastern waters.

The military said South Korea has boosted its surveillance posture and was closely coordinating information on the launches with the U.S. and Japan, according to the Associated Press.

South Korea has asked its neighbor to halt the missile launches.

The latest launches come after President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. to scale back its drills with South Korea, citing his good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s refusal to support him in the war in Iran.

South Korean and U.S. militaries confirmed Wednesday that they altered the 11-day drills by shortening their duration by about half and canceling some field training exercises.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.