North Korea fires ballistic missile towards Sea of Japan, Takaichi’s office issues ‘emergency alert’

[Beijingwalker]

North Korea fires ballistic missile towards Sea of Japan, Takaichi’s office issues ‘emergency alert’​

North Korea on Thursday fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan, prompting an emergency response in South Korea and an alert from Japanese authorities

Aug 20, 2026, 17:45:55 IST


Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office also issued an emergency alert saying North Korea had launched a suspected ballistic missile. Representative Photo: File/Reuters

North Korea on Thursday fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan, prompting an emergency response in South Korea and an alert from Japanese authorities.

The launches came as South Korea and the United States were conducting their annual joint military exercises on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea’s presidential office held an emergency security meeting after the launches and ordered the military to maintain a strong readiness posture. Seoul said the missile launches violated United Nations Security Council resolutions and urged Pyongyang to stop such actions immediately.

Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office also issued an emergency alert saying North Korea had launched a suspected ballistic missile. Japan’s coast guard said the projectile had already fallen into the sea and appeared to have landed outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.

Missiles travelled around 300 km​

According to Reuters, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched from the Pyongyang area and flew about 300 kilometres towards waters east of the Korean Peninsula.

South Korean officials reviewed the country’s military response and assessed the possible security impact of the launches. The presidential office said the launches were a serious violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Japanese authorities also confirmed that a ballistic missile had been fired towards the sea.

The latest launch comes amid heightened tensions over the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises involving South Korea and the United States.

North Korea opposes US-South Korea drills​

The missile launch came a day after Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, criticised the military exercises and accused Washington of maintaining a hostile policy towards Pyongyang.

The drills, which began on August 17, were originally scheduled to continue until August 27. However, South Korea’s military said on Wednesday that the exercises would end on Friday after US President Donald Trump ordered a reduction in American participation.

Trump had described the drills as “inappropriate and hostile” and has also expressed interest in reviving diplomacy with Kim Jong Un.

North Korea has nevertheless continued to oppose the exercises. State-run Korean Central News Agency described them as the “most immediate and open threat” to North Korea and regional security, arguing that such drills are effectively preparations for an invasion.

Message to Washington, Seoul​

The missile launch appeared to show that Kim Yo Jong’s warning was not merely rhetoric.

Pyongyang could have several objectives, including protesting the US-South Korea exercises, objecting to discussions surrounding North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme and warning other countries against making assumptions about its security policies.

The development came shortly after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Seoul. Wang urged South Korea not to take sides between Beijing and Washington and said the United States should abandon what China describes as a hostile policy towards North Korea to help reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

 

[Beijingwalker]

North Korea Launches About Ten Ballistic Missiles Toward the Sea of Japan
Thursday, 20 August 2026, 14:07

North Korea Launches About Ten Ballistic Missiles Toward the Sea of Japan
The timing puts fresh pressure on a tense regional landscape already shaped by military exercises and high-level diplomacy.

This is reported by KBS World.

North Korea launched around ten short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, on the morning of August 20.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched from the Pyongyang area. The launches were detected amid the joint South Korea-U.S. Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which began on August 17.

Previous North Korean missile launches
This was North Korea’s first use of ballistic missiles in the past eight days. The previous week, Pyongyang launched a missile from the Wonsan area. It flew more than 700 kilometers toward the Sea of Japan.

North Korea carried out another short-range ballistic missile launch on August 6. North Korean state media did not report on the latest tests.

Launches coincided with Wang Yi’s visit to South Korea
The new missile tests took place as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi concluded a two-day visit to South Korea.

Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea are scaling back the annual joint exercises and subsequent field training at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

Donald Trump has also called for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to be held in late autumn. One of the main topics of the talks is expected to be North Korea’s abandonment of its nuclear program.

North Korea Launches About Ten Ballistic Missiles Toward the Sea of Japan | Ukraine news - #Mezha

North Korea launched about ten short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on August 20, coinciding with US-South Korea drills and Wang Yi’s visit.

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