Seoul: North Korea fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, South Korea's military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported detecting the missile launch from Pyongyang at around 5 p.m. However, additional details were not immediately available.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the military has increased its surveillance and vigilance in anticipation of possible further launches. They are closely sharing related information with the United States and Japan, maintaining a full readiness posture. This latest missile launch occurred approximately a week after Pyongyang fired another short-range ballistic missile eastward on August 12.

The missile launch coincides with ongoing combined military exercises by South Korea and the United States. These drills have been scaled down in both duration and scope following an order from U.S. President Donald Trump to reduce their size. Pyongyang has consistently denounced these exercises as rehearsals for invasion, often responding with weapons tests in protest.

Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, expressed the North's disinterest in the reduction of the allies' military exercises in a statement released late Wednesday. She described the drills as "unworthy of comment."