What did South Korea say about North Korea’s latest missile launch on Sunday?

South Korea’s military said North Korea fired one short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area at about 3:00 p.m. The missile traveled about 450 kilometers, and officials were still analyzing its exact specifications.

Why did North Korea fire a missile toward the East Sea again?

The launch came days after Pyongyang vowed to take responsive action against continued U.S.-led military drills in the region. The article also says Kim Yo-jong condemned the Pacific Vanguard maritime drills and that North Korea had recently denounced Ulchi Freedom Shield and Freedom Edge.

How did South Korea respond to North Korea’s missile launch?

South Korea’s National Security Office held an emergency security meeting with the defense ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It said the government assessed its response posture, reviewed the launch’s impact on national security and urged Pyongyang to stop such military actions immediately.

N. Korea fires 1 short-range ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military

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Summary

North Korea fired one short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Sunday, South Korea’s military said, from the Wonsan area at about 3:00 p.m. The missile flew about 450 kilometers, and further analysis was under way. South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities tracked the launch from the initial stage and shared details with Japan. Seoul’s National Security Office held an emergency meeting and urged Pyongyang to stop such actions.

Key Facts

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launch was detected at about 3:00 p.m. from the Wonsan area.
The missile flew about 450 kilometers, with its exact specifications still under analysis.
North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles from the same region toward the East Sea on Sept. 12.
Kim Yo-jong condemned the U.S.-led multinational Pacific Vanguard maritime drills and vowed a proportional or more offensive response.
South Korea’s National Security Office said ballistic missile launches violate U.N. Security Council resolutions banning North Korea’s nuclear and missile development.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 20, 2026 3:29 pm KST
Updated Sep 20, 2026 5:29 pm KST

A TV screen shows a report on North Korea's firing of short-range ballistic missiles at Seoul Station, Sept. 12. Yonhap

North Korea fired one short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Sunday, South Korea's military said, days after it vowed to take "responsive action" against continued U.S.-led military drills in the region.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch at about 3:00 p.m. from the Wonsan area.

The missile flew about 450 kilometers, with further analysis under way to assess its exact specifications and other details, the JCS said.

The JCS said the South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities tracked and shared related details from the initial stage of the launch, and shared information on the missile launch with Japan as well.

"We are closely monitoring North Korea's various activities and maintain the capability and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocations, under the staunch South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture," it added.

Sunday's launch came about a week after the North fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles from the same region toward the East Sea on Sept. 12.

In a media dispatch two days later, the North said the country had conducted a firepower strike drill involving artillery and missile units featuring new combat systems, including attack drones, tactical cruise missiles, large-caliber multiple rocket launchers and tactical ballistic missiles.

The latest launch came as Pyongyang has ramped up criticism of key regional military exercises involving Seoul, Washington or Japan.

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, condemned the U.S.-led multinational Pacific Vanguard maritime drills and vowed to respond in proportion or in a more offensive manner.

The North has recently issued statements denouncing the bilateral Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise between South Korea and the U.S., and the trilateral Freedom Edge drills involving Japan.

Pyongyang has long denounced the allies' drills as rehearsals for invasion.

South Korea's National Security Office (NSO) convened an emergency security meeting with the defense ministry and the JCS to discuss the latest missile launch.

"We assessed our response posture, analyzed and evaluated the impact the latest missile launch has on our national security and reviewed corresponding actions," the office said.

The NSO urged Pyongyang to cease such military actions immediately, reiterating that its ballistic missile launches amount to a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning its nuclear and missile development.

In the previous missile launch, the missiles were assessed to be Hwasong-11 series short-range ballistic missiles and rounds fired from 600-millimeter super-large multiple rocket launchers.

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