North Korea fires ballistic missiles toward sea after rivals' military drill it sees as provocation
North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles following the conclusion of a trilateral military exercise between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan. The North views these drills as provocations, while the U.S. maintains the exercises are defensive.
Why it matters
The launch signals continued regional instability and the failure of diplomatic efforts to curb North Korea's weapons development program.
North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Saturday (September 12, 2026), its neighbours said, a day after the U.S., South Korea and Japan ended their trilateral military drill that North Korea views as a provocation.
The North Korean ballistic launch event, the first in about three weeks, came as the country was continuing its weapons display after rebuffing U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to scale back a major bilateral military drill with South Korea in a goodwill gesture.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launches of several missiles from North Korea's eastern coastal Wonsan area. It said the missiles flew about 250 kilometres each in a direction toward North Korea's eastern waters. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it has boosted its surveillance posture and was closely exchanging information on the launches with the U.S. and Japan.
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