North Korea fires ballistic missiles off eastern coast, Seoul says

September 12, 2026 at 07:25 AM2 min

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North Korea fired several ballistic missiles toward the sea off its eastern coast on Saturday, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The missiles, launched from the Wonsan area around 5:20 a.m. local time, flew about 250 kilometers. South Korea has boosted surveillance and is sharing information with the United States and Japan.

Key Facts

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff detected several missiles launched from Wonsan at about 5:20 a.m. local time on Saturday (20:20 GMT Friday), which flew about 250 kilometers.
The launch occurred a day after South Korea concluded five days of joint maritime drills with the US and Japan focused on North Korea.
The US Pacific Command said the launch does not pose an immediate threat to US territory or allies.
North Korea's defence minister, Kim Song Gi, had warned of 'strong and reflective countermeasures' against the joint exercises.

Missile Launch Details

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected several missiles launched from North Korea's eastern coastal area of Wonsan about 5:20 a.m. on Saturday (20:20 GMT on Friday). The missiles flew about 250 kilometres (155 miles) toward the sea off the eastern coast. South Korea's presidential National Security Office held an emergency security meeting with the Defence Ministry, the JCS and other relevant agencies following the launch. The US Pacific Command said North Korea's launch event does not pose an immediate threat to US territory or to its allies, adding that Washington remains committed to the defence of South Korea and its other allies in the region.

Regional Military Context

The missiles were launched a day after South Korea concluded five days of joint maritime drills with the US and Japan that were focused on North Korea. Hours after the exercises began on Monday, North Korea's defence minister, Kim Song Gi, criticised the exercise and warned North Korea was capable of taking 'strong and reflective countermeasures from the standpoint of power'. Late last month, North Korea slammed plans for the so-called Freedom Edge exercises in international waters off South Korea as a 'threat' to Pyongyang and other countries in the region. The North also fired a barrage of missiles into the sea on August 20, despite an overture from US President Donald Trump, who said he planned to meet this year with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The August launch came as South Korea and the US held a shorter edition of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises, following an order from Trump to scale back the drills.