North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile as US-South Korea Drills Near

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward waters off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast on Wednesday, raising regional tensions just days before major US-South Korea military exercises are set to begin.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missile was launched from the Wonsan area on North Korea’s east coast at around 6 a.m. local time. The launch came six days after another ballistic missile was fired from the same area on August 6.

The latest North Korea missile launch occurred ahead of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, scheduled for August 17-27. The joint US-South Korea military drills are designed to strengthen readiness against North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile capabilities. Pyongyang has repeatedly criticized such exercises as provocative.

According to South Korean and Japanese defense authorities, Wednesday’s missile traveled approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles). South Korea did not immediately classify the weapon, saying officials were still analyzing its specifications.

Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the missile’s range, trajectory and launch location suggested it could be a hypersonic weapon, although a submarine-launched ballistic missile remained another possibility.

The firing marked North Korea’s 11th suspected ballistic missile test of 2026, according to South Korean assessments. Pyongyang has conducted multiple weapons tests this year involving ballistic missiles, artillery rockets and tactical systems.

South Korea and Japan condemned the launch. Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tokyo lodged a strong diplomatic protest against North Korea, while South Korea’s National Security Office convened an emergency meeting and called on Pyongyang to stop missile activities that violate United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The US Indo-Pacific Command said it was consulting with regional allies and assessed that the launch posed no immediate threat to US personnel, territory or allies.

The missile test adds to heightened security concerns on the Korean Peninsula as Seoul and Washington prepare for their upcoming military exercises and North Korea continues developing its weapons programs.