North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea off its eastern coast on Saturday, September 12, in what analysts see as a direct response to the conclusion of a trilateral military exercise involving the United States, South Korea and Japan. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missiles were detected launching from the Wonsan area — a port city on North Korea's eastern coast — at around 5:20 a.m. local time, flying approximately 250 kilometres before landing in the sea. The launches represent North Korea's first ballistic missile test in roughly three weeks.
The missile salvo came just one day after the US, South Korea and Japan wrapped up their five-day Freedom Edge exercise, conducted in international waters east and south of Jeju, South Korea's southern island. North Korea's defence minister, Kim Song Gi, had warned hours after the drills began on Monday that Pyongyang was prepared to take "strong and reflective countermeasures from the standpoint of power." South Korean and US intelligence services had been monitoring the situation closely, and South Korea's presidential National Security Office convened an emergency meeting following the launches. The US Pacific Command said the event posed no immediate threat to US territory or its allies, reaffirming Washington's commitment to regional defence.
The launches were reportedly a mix of Hwasong-11 series ballistic missiles and rounds from 600-millimetre multiple rocket launchers, fired in successive waves. This follows a barrage of roughly ten short-range ballistic missiles launched on August 20, during a scaled-back edition of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises — reduced on the orders of US President Donald Trump, who described the drills as "totally inappropriate and hostile" toward the North in what was widely interpreted as a conciliatory gesture toward Pyongyang. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un's sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, dismissed the gesture, saying that merely shortening the drill did not change its "provocative, aggressive nature."
The broader context is one of stalled diplomacy and accelerating weapons development. Kim Jong Un, who has concentrated on expanding his nuclear arsenal since high-stakes talks with Trump collapsed in 2019, has signalled he would only return to negotiations if the US drops what he calls its "hostile policy" and recognises North Korea's status as a nuclear state. Experts note that deepened ties with Russia and China have emboldened Pyongyang to demand greater concessions before engaging diplomatically. South Korea's presidential national security council urged North Korea to halt its missile launches, which violate UN Security Council resolutions. The timing of Saturday's launches is also notable given that a summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected in Washington later this month, with North Korea likely to feature prominently on the agenda.