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.

South Korea and the U.S. paused live-fire training during Freedom Shield exercises after a South Korean fighter jet bombing incident injured 30 civilians. The drill has been criticized by North Korea,

Two South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian area during training, injuring at least eight people, officials said.

The South Korean military said the accident near the North Korean border occurred during training ahead of Freedom Shield, an annual U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise.

South Korean fighter jets accidentally bombed homes during a live-fire drill with US forces, injuring more than two dozen people on Thursday, Seoul’s military said.

S EOUL, South Korea — A South Korean fighter jet accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian area during training Thursday, reportedly injuring seven people. The MK-82 bombs “abnormally” released by the KF-16 fighter jet fell outside a firing range, causing unspecified civilian damages, the air force said in a statement.

The number of people injured after South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped bombs on a civilian area on Thursday increased to 15 civilians and 14 soldiers, the country's defence ministry said.

The number of houses damaged in last week's accidental bombing of a South Korean northern village has grown from 58 to 142 following a second survey, the local government said on Sunday.

At least 15 people were injured after South Korean fighter jets involved in a live-fire drill dropped bombs on Pocheon, Seoul's military said.