North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles into its western waters on Monday, hours after South Korea and the United States commenced their largest annual military exercises. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile launches originated from the North's southwestern Hwanghae province and landed in the Yellow Sea west of the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea launched several ballistic missiles toward the Yellow Sea on Monday afternoon, Seoul's military said, on the first day of a large-scale joint U.S-South Korea military exercise on the Peninsula.

Earlier Monday, the South Korean and US militaries began their annual Freedom Shield command post exercise, their first major combined training of President Trump’s second term.