North Korea fires 10 missiles amid shortened U.S.-South Korea drills

North Korea launched 10 short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday, the South Korean military said. The missiles entered the ocean nearly 200 miles from their launch point, which was near North Korea’s capital of Pyongyang, according to the Associated Press, citing North Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The launches came the day after the South Korean military announced that it would end its annual joint drills with U.S. forces on Friday, six days earlier than initially planned. Both sides also agreed to reduce the scale of field training drills, though the details were still under discussion, the South Korean military said. It said the changes came at the suggestion of the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said he wanted to substantially reduce the joint exercises because they sent an inappropriately hostile message to North Korea. He had a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, he said, adding that the country had remained unthreatening and respectful during his presidency.

North Korea dismissed the changes, saying they didn’t amount to a gesture of good faith. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said the reduced military drills were still provocative and aggressive, according to the Associated Press.

Dig deeper: Read my report on Trump’s decision to scale back the drills for more details.