Seoul: North Korea fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, South Korea's military announced. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) confirmed the detection of the missile launch from Pyongyang at approximately 5 p.m., though further specifics of the launch were not immediately disclosed.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean military has enhanced its surveillance and vigilance to anticipate any additional launches, sharing relevant information closely with the United States and Japan. This comes as part of a strategy to maintain a full readiness posture. The recent missile launch follows a similar event roughly a week earlier when Pyongyang launched a short-range ballistic missile eastward on August 12.

In response to the latest developments, the presidential national security office convened a meeting with officials from the defense ministry and the JCS. This meeting aimed to evaluate South Korea's preparedness and assess the missile launch's implications for national security. Given that the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise is currently underway, the office emphasized the necessity of maintaining a thorough readiness posture and urged North Korea to cease provocations that violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.

The missile launch coincides with ongoing combined military exercises by South Korea and the United States. These exercises have been scaled down following U.S. President Donald Trump's directive to reduce their scope and duration. North Korea has consistently criticized these drills as preparations for an invasion, often retaliating with a series of weapons tests.

Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, expressed disdain for the reduction of the allies' military exercises, describing them as "unworthy of comment" in a statement released late Wednesday.