TOKYO Aug 20, 2026 – — North Korea launched around 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea off its eastern coast on Thursday, South Korean and Japanese authorities confirmed.
The launches took place from the Pyongyang area at approximately 5 p.m. local time (0800 GMT). South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles flew about 300 kilometers (186 miles) and landed in the Sea of Japan (East Sea). Japan’s Defense Ministry reported that the projectiles traveled an estimated 320 kilometers, reached a maximum altitude of 90 kilometers, and fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office and Defense Ministry detected the activity and stated that the missiles posed no immediate threat to Japanese territory or vessels. No damage or injuries were reported.
South Korea’s presidential office convened an emergency national security meeting and strongly condemned the launches as a “grave act that violates U.N. Security Council resolutions.” Officials ordered the military to maintain full readiness and closely coordinate with the United States and Japan. South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back told lawmakers the weapons were believed to be 600 mm multiple rocket launchers, systems North Korea has previously claimed can carry tactical nuclear warheads.
The missile salvo came as U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, continued in a scaled-back form. President Donald Trump had ordered a substantial reduction in the drills earlier in the week and told reporters on Wednesday that he planned to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of Kim Jong Un, dismissed the U.S. gestures in a statement carried by North Korean state media, saying she was “not aware” of any communication between Trump and her brother and describing the reduced exercises as “unworthy of comment.”
North Korea has conducted multiple ballistic missile tests in recent weeks, including launches on August 6 and August 12. Pyongyang routinely times such firings around U.S.-South Korea military drills, which it has long denounced as rehearsals for invasion.
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