Pyongyang tests another missile within one week and ahead of US-South Korean military drills

By Jerry Fisayo-Bambi with AP Published on 12/08/2026 - 10:14 GMT+2 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp A ballistic missile fired from the North’s eastern coastal Wonsan area around 6am flew more than 700 kilometres, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Seoul condemned the test and warned it remains ready to repel any provocation in cooperation with the US. North Korea conducted its second ballistic missile test in less than a week on Wednesday, South Korean media reports, in what is believed to be a protest against the upcoming military exercises between Seoul and Washington, which Pyongyang sees as a practice for an invasion. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A ballistic missile fired from the North’s eastern coastal Wonsan area around 6 a.m. flew more than 700 kilometres, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. South Korea’s military condemned the test and warned it remains ready to repel any provocation by Pyongyang in cooperation with the United States. South Korea’s national security council called North Korean ballistic missile launches “acts of provocation” and urged the North to halt them immediately. The Japanese Defense Ministry also reported detecting the launch, saying the weapon landed in waters outside its exclusive economic zone, between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters that Japan strongly protested the North Korean launch through their embassies in Beijing. “It’s a serious problem that affects the safety of the Japanese people,” he said. A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Yo Ahn Young-joon/Copyright 2026 The AP. All rights reserved. The launches, within days of each other, were seen as part of North Korea’s extended run of weapons tests as the country has refused to return to talks with the US and South Korea for years. It also came two days after South Korea and the United States announced they will kick off their annual large-scale military drills on 17 August to beef up readiness against North Korean threats. North Korea has previously responded to the Ulchi Freedom Shield training and other major South Korea-U.S. military exercises with provocative weapons tests and harsh rhetoric, although experts believe Pyongyang often uses its rivals’ military training as a pretext to boost its own testing activities. The US and South Korea have repeatedly said their training is defensive in nature. Related North Korea fires at least one ballistic missile into sea, South Korea's military saysRussia fired North Korean missiles in attack that killed six in Zaporizhzhia, Zelenskyy says After last year’s Ulchi Freedom Shield training exercises began, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the drills showed the US and South Korea’s “will to ignite a war” and claimed they have grown more provocative than before, which has prompted North Korea to respond with “proactive and overwhelming” countermeasures. Last week, on 6 August, South Korea, the US, and Japan detected the launch of a short-range ballistic missile from North Korea in what was the North’s first ballistic weapons testing activity since late June. Pyongyang didn’t confirm the reported launch, though it usually releases details of weapons tests a day later. Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Read more Pyongyang vows to strengthen nuclear force 'in quality and quantity' Xi Jinping meets Kim Jong Un as China and North Korea tighten alliance North Korea welcomes Lukashenko with ceremony in Pyongyang military drill Pyongyang Missile North Korea South Korea