What did North Korean state media say about the latest missile launches from Wonsan?

North Korean state media made no mention of the launches on Sunday morning, continuing its silence from the previous day. KCNA and Rodong Sinmun had not reported the missile firings by 9 a.m.

Why is North Korea's silence on missile launches notable now?

The silence continues a pattern that began in early August, when state media ignored missile launches on Aug. 6, Aug. 12 and Aug. 20. The report says North Korea typically publicizes ballistic missile launches the next day, especially when Kim Jong-un has overseen them.

N. Korean state media again silent on missile launches

Q: What was the timing of the latest North Korean missile launch?

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Saturday, one day after South Korea, the United States and Japan wrapped up their trilateral military exercise. The missiles were launched from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea.

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Summary

North Korean state media again stayed silent on Saturday’s missile launches, with KCNA and Rodong Sinmun still not mentioning them by Sunday morning. North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea a day after a trilateral military exercise by South Korea, the United States and Japan ended. The silence continues a pattern since early August, when state media also ignored three other missile launches. The report also noted U.S. President Donald Trump’s conciliatory signals toward Pyongyang and his stated intention to meet Kim later this year.

Key Facts

KCNA and Rodong Sinmun had made no mention of the launches as of 9 a.m. Sunday.
North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea on Saturday.
The state media also stayed silent on missile launches on Aug. 6, Aug. 12 and Aug. 20.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 13, 2026 11:27 am KST

A TV screen shows a report on North Korea's firing of short-range ballistic missiles at Seoul Station, Saturday. Yonhap

North Korean state media on Sunday made no mention of the ballistic missiles fired a day earlier, continuing a pattern of silence over its missile launches since early August.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and the Rodong Sinmun, the most widely read newspaper in the country, had made no mention of the launches as of 9 a.m.

On Saturday, North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea, just a day after South Korea, the United States and Japan wrapped up their trilateral military exercise.

Pyongyang fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Aug. 6 and another on Aug. 12, followed by a barrage of the same type of ballistic missiles on Aug. 20, as South Korea and the United States staged their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise. North Korean state media remained silent on all three launches.

The North has typically used its state media to publicize its ballistic missile launches the following day, especially when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen them.

The silence comes amid conciliatory signals toward Pyongyang from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has expressed his intention to meet Kim later this year.

During his first term, Trump met with Kim three times: the first in June 2018 in Singapore, the second in February 2019 in Hanoi and the third at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

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