Protesters gather during a press conference demanding to stop the upcoming Freedom Shield military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea, near the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 10, 2025. The letters read "Stop, War exercise."

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea Monday, South Korea's military said, hours after South Korean and U.S. troops kicked off their large annual combined drills, which the North views as an invasion rehearsal.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile firings, North Korea's fifth missile launch event this year, were detected from the North's southwestern Hwanghae province but gave no further details such as how far they flew. It said South Korea bolstered its surveillance posture and is closely coordinating with the United States.

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