SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea on 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.

North Korea fired "multiple unidentified ballistic missiles" on Monday, South Korea's military said, the same day Seoul and Washington began a major annual joint military drill known as Freedom Shield.

SEOUL, March 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the Yellow Sea on Monday, South Korea's military said, as Seoul and Washington launched their annual military drills. It marked the North's first known ballistic missile test since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House.