North Korea fires ballistic missile days before US-South Korea drills
With days to go until major US-South Korea military exercises, North Korea has fired a ballistic missile off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. The missile traversed about 700km (435 miles) before landing in the sea.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was fired from the Wonsan area at around 6am local time on Wednesday, Reuters reported. South Korean assessments showed it was the second launch from the same area in six days and the 11th suspected North Korean ballistic missile test of 2026.
Seoul has yet to identify the missile type. The projectile’s range, trajectory and launch site suggested it could have been a hypersonic weapon, analyst Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification told Reuters, although another possibility was a submarine-launched missile.
There was no immediate comment from Pyongyang. Japan protested, and South Korea held an emergency national security meeting.
Missile launch before Ulchi Freedom Shield drills
The launch comes less than a week before the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises between the United States and South Korea, set for 17-27 August. The allies say the drills are to improve their ability to respond to North Korea’s expanding nuclear and weapons capabilities, but Pyongyang has long perceived such exercises as preparation for war.
The US Pacific Command released a statement, saying, «We are aware of the recent missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners.» The US military added that «these events do not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory or to our allies.»
U.S. Pacific Command Statement on DPRK Missile Launch 11 August 2026 (HST)
— U.S. Pacific Command (@USPACOM) August 11, 2026
We are aware of the recent missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners. Based on current assessments, these events do not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or… pic.twitter.com/Ni8egyS28N
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