North Korea Fires Ballistic Missiles After US–South Korea Drills

North Korea Fires Ballistic Missiles After US–South Korea Drills
Flags of North Korea, rear, and South Korea, front, flutter in the wind from the border area between two Koreas in Paju, South Korea, on Aug. 9, 2021. Im Byung-shik/Yonhap via AP
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SEOUL, South Korea—North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Friday, its latest weapons demonstration came days after U.S. and South Korean warplanes conducted joint drills that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal.

North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests this year in what some experts call an attempt to bolster its weapons capability and pressure its rivals to make concessions such as sanctions relief in future negotiations. Recently, the North also claimed to have performed major tests needed to acquire its first spy satellite and a more mobile intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.