What happened after North Korea launched a missile from Wonsan on Wednesday?

North Korea did not report the launch the following morning, and KCNA and Rodong Sinmun had not mentioned it by 7 a.m. Thursday. South Korea’s military said it detected the missile at around 6 a.m. Wednesday and that it flew more than 700 kilometers.

Why did North Korea fire missiles from Wonsan ahead of Ulchi Freedom Shield?

The launches came before the annual South Korea-U.S. joint exercise, which Pyongyang has long denounced as preparation for an invasion. The article says North Korea has previously stayed quiet about launches it considers minor or lacking propaganda value.

How often has North Korea been launching missiles from the Wonsan area lately?

This was the second launch from the Wonsan area in a week. The article also says North Korea last tested a tactical ballistic missile, along with new multiple rocket launchers and other weapons, on June 25.

N. Korea again skips missile launch report

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Summary

North Korea stayed silent Thursday on a ballistic missile it launched the previous day, marking the second straight time it has skipped its usual next-day report. South Korea’s military detected the launch from Wonsan at around 6 a.m. Wednesday, and said the missile flew more than 700 kilometers. The launch came ahead of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which Pyongyang has long denounced. The North last tested a tactical ballistic missile on June 25.

Key Facts

The Korean Central News Agency and Rodong Sinmun had made no mention of the launch as of 7 a.m. Thursday.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said South Korea detected the missile from North Korea’s eastern coastal city of Wonsan at around 6 a.m. Wednesday.
South Korea’s military said the missile flew more than 700 kilometers and that analysis of its specifications was under way.
The launch was North Korea’s second from the Wonsan area in a week, following another launch last Thursday that Pyongyang also did not report.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 13, 2026 7:57 am KST
Updated Aug 13, 2026 4:32 pm KST

A TV screen at Seoul Station, Wednesday, shows a news report that North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea the same day, marking the second such launch in less than a week in an apparent protest against the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield combined military exercise between the South and the United States. Yonhap

North Korea stayed silent Thursday on the ballistic missile it launched the previous day, marking the second straight time Pyongyang has departed from its usual practice of announcing such launches the following morning.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and the Rodong Sinmun, the most widely read newspaper in the country, had made no mention of the launch as of 7 a.m.

But this was not without precedent, as Pyongyang has previously kept quiet about launches it considers minor or lacking propaganda value.

South Korea's military detected the missile launch from North Korea's eastern coastal city of Wonsan at around 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The missile flew more than 700 kilometers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding a detailed analysis of its specifications was under way.

It was North Korea's second launch from the Wonsan area in a week, including one last Thursday that Pyongyang has also remained silent about.

The two launches came ahead of the Ulchi Freedom Shield, the annual South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise that Pyongyang has long denounced as preparation for an invasion.

The North last tested a tactical ballistic missile, along with new multiple rocket launchers and other weapons, on June 25.

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