S. Korea to consult with Nepal on resumption of search, rescue efforts: Seoul official

Seoul reports that North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles on Saturday, a day after concluding joint maritime drills with the United States and Japan focused on the North. Pyongyang had previously criticized the so-called Freedom Edge exercises, calling them a threat to regional stability. The Joint Chiefs of Staff detected the short-range missiles originating from the Wonsan area towards the East Sea around 05:20 am (2020 GMT Friday).

The missiles traveled approximately 250 kilometers before being detected. South Korean and US intelligence have been monitoring the situation, sharing information with Japan. North Korea had previously conducted a missile test on August 20, despite US President Donald Trump's overture for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The scaled-back exercises had alarmed US allies, who deemed them inappropriate and hostile towards North Korea. However, a South Korean spy agency suggested a US-North Korea summit might be possible at any time, following emerging signs of dialogue between the two nations. Despite Trump's efforts to revive the bond with Kim during their three meetings, no concrete progress was made.

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the North Korean leader, criticized the scaled-back drills as Seoul's punishment, labeling it an "evident disaster" brought by the South's unrealistic security outlook, which she described as a master-and-servant relationship with the United States.