Pyongyang, North Korea - North Korea fired numerous short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, Seoul reported, mere hours after President Donald Trump announced his intention to meet with Kim Jong Un later this year.
The latest launches from the nuclear-armed North come as South Korea and the US hold a shorter edition of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises, following an order from Trump to scale them back.
Pyongyang has long condemned US-South Korea joint exercises, claiming they are rehearsals for a future invasion of North Korea. They often stage missile launches to coincide with such drills.
Trump, seeking to revive the bond he claims to have forged with Kim in his first term, told reporters at the White House on Wednesday he plans to meet the North Korean leader later this year.
The US president also said it was important to "get along" with Kim, adding that Pyongyang now had 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons. Seoul says there are around 80–120.
Hours after Trump's remarks, North Korea fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang area towards the East Sea, South Korea's military said.
The missiles flew around 186 miles, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding that South Korean and US authorities were conducting a detailed analysis of their specifications.
South Korea's presidential office convened an emergency security meeting, condemning the launches as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and ordering heightened readiness.
Hours after the launches, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, said Trump's decision to scale back the drills with South Korea was Seoul's comeuppance.
In a statement, she called it "an evident disaster brought by the unrealistic and anachronistic security outlook."
According to Kim, South Korea "has reaped what it sewed" while remaining "blinded by their firm belief in the US master."