South Korea's military says North Korea has fired several ballistic missiles into the sea. The launch Monday happened hours after South Korean and U.S. troops kicked off their large annual combined drills,

North Korea has carried out test launches of strategic cruise missiles to send a message to “enemies” about its counterattack capabilities, state media has said. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over the missile drills in the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Friday.

The fresh deployment comes after North Korea suffered heavy casualties on the front lines in Russia’s war against Ukraine, the South’s spy agency says.