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.

South Korea’s presidential national security council issued a statement urging North Korea to halt ballistic missile firings that violate UN Security Council resolutions.

The U.S. Pacific Command said the North’s launch event did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. territory or to its allies. It said the U.S. remains committed to the defence of the U.S. homeland and its allies in the region.

On Friday (September 11, 2026), the U.S., South Korea and Japan ended their five-day Freedom Edge exercise as scheduled. The U.S. Pacific Command said the militaries of the three countries “trained side by side across air, sea and cyber domains, sharpening the interoperability that keeps the region secure.” It cited maritime maneuvers, air refuelling, cyber coordination and medical drills.

South Korea’s military earlier said the exercise is defensive in nature and meant to enhance a joint response capability against North Korean nuclear threats.

Hours after the trilateral exercise began Monday (September 7, 2026), North Korea’s defence minister Kim Song Gi criticised the exercise and threatened to take “strong and reflective countermeasures from the standpoint of power.” On Sunday (September 6, 2026), North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for building a more reliable nuclear deterrent in a ceremony marking the commissioning of the country’s second naval destroyer. North Korea has said its two destroyers can carry nuclear-capable missiles. The second destroyer was damaged earlier during a botched launch last year, but it was relaunched after repairs.

Mr. Kim has been focusing on expanding his nuclear arsenal after his high-stakes diplomacy with Mr. Trump collapsed in 2019. In the last month, Mr. Trump ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise with South Korea. He cited what he called a good relationship with Mr. Kim, who views the drill as an invasion rehearsal.

But Mr. Kim’s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, rebuffed Mr. Trump’s move, saying just shortening the drill would not change its “provocative, aggressive nature.” North Korea’s military later launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea, apparently following through with its previous threat to respond to the U.S.-South Korean drill.

Now apparently emboldened by his advancing nuclear programme and deepened ties with Russia and China, experts say Mr. Kim wants greater U.S. concessions in potential diplomacy with the U.S.. Kim Jong Un said earlier this year that he could return to talks if the U.S. drops its “hostile policy” against his country and respects what he calls the North’s status as a nuclear state.

North Korea said Thursday (October 23. 2025) that its latest missile tests involved new hypersonic systems aimed at strengthening its nuclear war deterrent, as leader Kim Jong Un continues to build up weapons designed to overwhelm South Korea’s missile defenses.

The report by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency came a day after South Korea’s military said it detected the North firing multiple missiles from an area south of the capital, Pyongyang, and said they flew about 350 kilometers (217 miles) northeast before falling on land.

The tests came days before world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, are expected to gather in rival South Korea for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings.

KCNA said the launches involved two hypersonic projectiles that accurately struck a land target in the country’s northern region. It described the system as strategic, implying that they were designed to be armed with nuclear warheads.

KCNA didn’t specify the name of the new missile system it tested. The tests came after a massive military parade in Pyongyang earlier this month, where Kim unveiled some of his military’s newest weapons, including what appeared to be a short-range ballistic system fitted with hypersonic glide vehicles.

North Korea in recent years has been testing various missile systems tipped with hypersonic weapons, which are designed to fly at more than five times the speed of sound. The speed and maneuverability of such weapons are meant to help them evade regional missile defense systems, but experts have questioned whether they have consistently flown at the speeds the North claims during tests.

Pak Jong Chon, one of Kim’s top military officials who attended Wednesday’s tests, lauded the performance of the “new cutting-edge weapon system” and said the North would continue efforts to bolster its war deterrent and defense capabilities.

During the Oct. 10 parade, Kim also unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile that state media described as the country’s most powerful nuclear asset, adding to his growing collection of weapons with potential range to reach the U.S. mainland. Experts say the North could be preparing to test the missile in the coming weeks, ahead of a major ruling party conference in early 2026, when Kim is expected to announce key policy directions — potentially including his approach toward the United States.

Kim has been sharply accelerating the pace of weapons tests since his high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019 due to wrangling over the U.S.-led economic sanctions.

Wednesday’s launches marked North Korea’s first ballistic missile tests since liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office in June, pledging to restore peace on the Korean Peninsula. But Kim has so far rejected Lee’s offer for talks and has said he won’t resume diplomacy with the United States unless Washington abandons its goal of denuclearizing the North.

Some experts had predicted that North Korea could conduct provocative missile tests before or during the APEC summit to underscore its commitment to gaining international recognition as a nuclear weapons state.