North Korea conducts ballistic missile test days before US and South Korea begin drills

North Korea launched at least one short-range ballistic missile toward the sea off its east coast on Thursday, according to South Korea's military. The event marks the latest in a series of weapons tests conducted by Pyongyang this year.

The launch occurs just days before the United States and South Korea are scheduled to begin their annual joint military exercises. North Korea has historically characterized such drills as invasion rehearsals and has maintained an increasingly assertive stance, declaring itself an irreversible nuclear state following the breakdown of 2019 diplomatic summits.