North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea (also known as the Sea of Japan) on Sunday, September 20, 2026, according to South Korean and Japanese military authorities. The launches occurred days after Pyongyang reaffirmed its status as a nuclear-armed state.
Details of the Launches
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that the missiles were launched from the Wonsan area on North Korea’s east coast:
The first missile was detected around 3:00 p.m. local time and flew approximately 450 kilometres.
The second missile was launched around 5:50 p.m. (about three hours later) and flew more than 600 kilometres.
Both projectiles landed in the East Sea. Japanese authorities also detected the launches and confirmed that the missiles did not enter Japan’s exclusive economic zone. South Korean, US and Japanese authorities tracked the activity and shared intelligence from the outset.
Further analysis is underway to determine the exact specifications of the missiles. The first is preliminarily assessed to belong to the Hwasong-11 series.
The tests took place against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions. North Korea had recently criticised US-led military exercises in the region and reasserted its nuclear deterrent capabilities while rejecting related United Nations resolutions.
South Korea’s presidential office convened a security meeting and called on North Korea to immediately halt ballistic missile launches, describing them as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Japan lodged a stern protest, condemning the actions as a threat to regional peace and security.
This marked North Korea’s latest series of missile activities, following previous launches earlier in September.
The international community continues to monitor developments on the Korean Peninsula closely.