North Korea launches missile ahead of US-South Korea military drills

North Korea launched another ballistic missile toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, on the morning of August 12. This is the second such launch in less than a week.

According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missile was launched at around 6:00 a.m. from the Wonsan area on North Korea's east coast. It flew more than 700 kilometers.

The type of missile and other characteristics are being analyzed by South Korean and U.S. experts. Intelligence agencies of South Korea and the U.S. tracked the launch from its initial stage, and the obtained data was also shared with Japan.

Following the launch, South Korea's Office of National Security held an emergency meeting with representatives of defense agencies. Seoul called Pyongyang's actions a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and urged North Korea to stop missile tests.

North Korea's previous launch took place on August 6 from the same area. At that time, the South Korean military classified the missile as a short-range ballistic missile.

The current launch occurred ahead of the annual joint military exercises of South Korea and the U.S., Ulchi Freedom Shield. The ten-day drills are set to begin on August 17. Pyongyang traditionally calls such exercises a preparation for invasion and often responds to them with weapons tests.

According to South Korean military estimates, this is the eleventh instance of North Korean ballistic missile launches since the start of 2026.

Materials from: Yonhap News Agency