North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea, as South Korea and the U.S. began joint military exercises. This is North Korea’s fifth missile launch event this year, seen as an invasion rehearsal by the North. The South Korean air force apologized for an incident where two fighter jets mistakenly bombed a civilian area, injuring 30 people. The drills, called Freedom Shield, have been condemned by North Korea as a dangerous provocative act. The exercises mark the first large-scale joint exercise since Trump began his second term, amid tensions over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and its alignment with Russia in the war on Ukraine. Trump has expressed willingness to revive diplomacy with North Korea, but Pyongyang has not yet responded. The North Korean Foreign Ministry called the exercises an aggressive and confrontational rehearsal that could trigger physical conflict on the Korean Peninsula. Kim Jong Un aims for radical growth of his nuclear force to counter perceived threats from the U.S. and its allies. Both the South Korean and U.S. militaries have halted live-fire exercises, which will resume once the investigation on the accidental bombing is complete.
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