The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Friday there have been no changes to the schedule of regular combined military drills between South Korea and the United States, amid questions over how U.S. President Donald Trump would look at what he once dubbed the "expensive" war games.

North Korea's foreign ministry vowed the "toughest counteraction" against the United States as long as Washington "refuses" the country's sovereignty.

The unification ministry on Friday "strongly" condemned North Korea for pledging to strengthen the "nuclear shield" while disclosing its leader Kim Jong-un's visit to a uranium enrichment facility. Kim inspected a nuclear-material production base and a nuclear weapons institute,

The DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In a statement later in the day, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles from inland areas towards waters off the west coast at around 4 p.m. (0700 GMT) on Saturday.

North Korea warned Friday that it would exercise its right to self-defense "more intensively" as it condemned recent joint air drills among South Korea, the United States and Japan.

South Korea’s military says it suspects North Korea is preparing to send additional troops to Russia after its soldiers already deployed on the Russian-Ukraine war fronts suffered heavy casualties.

The U.S. Pacific Air Forces told Newsweek that the RC-135 spy planes were conducting planned, routine operations.

Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran on Friday that follows similar pacts with China and North Korea. All three countries are adversaries of the United States, and Russia has used its ties with them to help blunt the impact of Western sanctions and boost its war effort in Ukraine.

Howard Lutnick, the financier President Trump has picked to lead the Commerce Department, said he favored “across-the-board” tariffs and was grilled about his financial ties in a nomination hearing Wednesday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a facility that produces nuclear material and called for bolstering the country’s nuclear fighting capability, state media reported, as the North looks to increase pressure on the United States following the inauguration of President Donald Trump.