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North Korea fires ballistic missiles toward Sea of Japan

English.Kyodonews • September 12, 2026

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Saturday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, after South Korea, Japan and the United States ended a trilateral exercise the day.

Ballistic missiles were fired at around 5:20 a.m. from the Wonsan area in eastern North Korea and flew 250 kilometers, the South Korean military said.

The Freedom Edge exercise, featuring real-time data sharing and integration of air, maritime, missile defense, cyber and medical capabilities, was held by South Korea, Japan and the United States Monday through Friday.

North Korean Defense Minister Kim Song Gi slammed the exercise as a "crucial security threat," vowing to take "strong and reflective countermeasures," according to the country's state-run media.

The missile launches came three weeks after North Korea fired around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles eastward from an area near Pyongyang.

North Korea fired the missiles on Aug. 20 amid a large-scale military exercise by the United States and South Korea that Pyongyang has long denounced as a rehearsal for an invasion. Just prior to the launches, U.S. President Donald Trump had directed the annual exercise to be shortened this year.

Nonetheless, Kim Yo Jong, the influential younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement carried by Pyongyang's official media at the time that scaling back the exercise did not change its hostile nature.

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North Korea Launches Ballistic Missiles Amid Silence from State Media On September 12, 2026, North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan, following a trilateral military exercise involving South Korea, Japan, and the United States. The missiles were launched from the Wonsan area and traveled approximately 250 kilometers. This event marks a continuation of North Korea's recent missile activity, which has seen a series of launches since early August, all of which have gone unreported by state media. The silence from North Korean state media is unusual, as such launches are typically publicized, especially when overseen by leader Kim Jong-un. The missile launches were condemned by North Korean officials, who labeled the recent military exercises as a significant security threat. The situation remains tense as diplomatic signals from the U.S. suggest potential future negotiations with North Korea's leadership. 2 sources 57

North Korea fires ballistic missiles toward Sea of Japan

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