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 ballistic missiles toward the Yellow Sea on Monday as Seoul and Washington launched their annual military drills, South Korean officials said. It marked the North's first known ballistic missile test since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

South Korean and U.S. troops will begin their large annual joint military drills next week to enhance readiness against North Korean threats, the allies announced Thursday, days after North Korea threatened high-profile provocations against what it called escalating U.