North Korea on Monday fired multiple ballistic missiles into the sea, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing Seoul’s military.

The launch came as Seoul and Washington kicked off their annual combined military drills, known as the Freedom Shield, scheduled for 11 days.

The joint chiefs of staff in Seoul said it detected the missile launch from North Korea’s western Hwanghae Province at about 1:50 p.m. (0450 GMT) but provided no further details.

This is according to Yonhap’s report.

The JCS added that it has increased surveillance efforts and is working closely with the U.S.

North Korea condemned the allies’ joint exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion against it.

Monday’s test marked its first known ballistic missile launch since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.

North Korea was prohibited by UN resolutions from launching or even testing ballistic missiles of any range.

These were usually surface-to-surface missiles that could also be equipped with a nuclear warhead.

Pyongyang has significantly expanded its missile tests over the past two years while sharpening its rhetoric against the U.S. and South Korea.

It has also strengthened its military cooperation with Russia. 

(dpa/NAN)