North Korea fires 10 ballistic missiles during US-South Korea military drills

North Korea fired more than 10 ballistic missiles into the sea Saturday, South Korea’s military said, as U.S. and South Korean forces conducted large military drills and U.S. President Donald Trump renewed calls for dialogue with Pyongyang.

Japan’s coast guard said it detected what may have been a ballistic missile that fell into the sea. Public broadcaster NHK, citing Japan’s military, reported the projectile appeared to have landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched around 1:20 p.m. local time from an area near the capital, Pyongyang, toward waters off the country’s east coast.

North Korea has tested a wide range of ballistic and cruise missiles for more than two decades as it seeks to develop systems capable of delivering nuclear weapons, which it is believed to possess.

Because of those programs, Pyongyang has been under multiple U.N. Security Council sanctions since 2006, though it has continued weapons development despite the economic and trade restrictions.

The United States and South Korea this week launched their annual joint military exercises, which they describe as defensive drills designed to test readiness against threats from the North.

Hundreds of U.S. and South Korean troops on Saturday conducted river-crossing exercises involving tanks and armored combat vehicles under the supervision of the commander of the allies’ combined forces. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea.

North Korea routinely condemns the exercises, calling them ‘’dress rehearsals’’ for an invasion.

On Thursday, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met Trump in Washington to discuss ways to reopen dialogue with Pyongyang. Kim said Trump remains eager to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.