North Korea fired off more missiles than it ever has in a single day, triggering an air raid alert in South Korea for the first time in years

• North Korea launched at least 23 missiles on Wednesday, the most it's ever fired in a single day.
• According to multiple reports, South Korea issued an air raid alert for the first time in years.

North Korea launched at least 23 missiles on Wednesday, the most it has ever fired in a single day, prompting an air raid alert from its southern neighbor for the first time in years.

The missiles — all short-range ballistic missiles or surface-to-air missiles — were fired from North Korea's eastern and western coasts, according to the South's Yonhap News Agency. Additionally, Seoul's military noted that the North fired over 100 artillery shells into the ocean.

Multiple media outlets reported that one ballistic missile landed near South Korea's Ulleung island, prompting the military to issue an air raid alert and send residents into shelters. It was the first such alert in six years.

In response to the provocation, South Korean fighter jets fired a barrage of precision-guided missiles into waters across the de-facto maritime border between the two countries in its own show of force, Yonhap said.

North Korea's actions drew international criticism. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, for instance, said Tuesday that "North Korea's unprecedented launch of multiple ballistic missiles is recklessly threatening the security of the Republic of Korea," adding that "North Korea's actions continue to undermine Indo-Pacific stability and violate multiple UNSC resolutions. Pyongyang must cease this action."

North Korea's latest missile launches appear to be a response to joint air drills between the US and South Korean militaries, which began on Monday and are slated to last until Friday. The US Air Force said the event is to bolster combat readiness and strengthen the two countries' ability to work together.

North Korea, however, has long bristled at these types of exercises, characterizing them as preparations for an invasion.

After an initial ballistic missile launch Wednesday morning local time, US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that it was aware of the launch and working closely with its allies.

"While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to our allies, the missile launches highlights the DPRK's reckless behavior and the destabilizing impact of its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs," the US Indo-Pacific Command said.

Missile launches have skyrocketed in 2022 compared to previous years, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defense Project.

In an analysis of North Korea's missile program, the Washington-based think tank said the country has invested significantly in the "development of increasingly long-range ballistic missiles and the miniaturization of its nascent nuclear weapons stockpile," allowing it to more easily field nuclear payloads on its arsenal of ballistic missiles.

Beyond its recent missile testing, activity has also been detected around North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site, raising concerns the country may be preparing to conduct a seventh nuclear test. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared his country's nuclear-armed status irreversible in a speech earlier this year as diplomatic efforts pursuing denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula have stalled.