Why has North Korea fired a missile ahead of US-South Korea drills?

What the report says

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into waters off its east coast on Wednesday, the day before a new round of South Korea–US military drills was due to begin, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing South Korea and Japan. The launch came from the Wonsan area in Kangwon Province and traveled more than 700km before landing in the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. South Korean officials convened an emergency meeting and called on Pyongyang to stop actions they say violate UN Security Council resolutions.

The report says this was the second North Korean missile test in less than a week and fits a pattern of launches that often coincide with major joint exercises. Pyongyang did not comment on the latest firing, but it has long criticized the annual drills as a rehearsal for invasion. Washington and Seoul, by contrast, describe the exercises as defensive and necessary to prepare for possible North Korean attacks.

The upcoming Ulchi Freedom Shield drills are scheduled to take place in South Korea from August 17 to 27 and will involve about 18,000 South Korean personnel and around 28,500 US troops stationed in the country. The article also places the launch in a wider context of rising regional tensions, North Korea’s expanding missile and nuclear programs, and its growing military cooperation with Russia. Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera said the timing suggests the test was meant to send a warning message ahead of the exercises.