North Korea fires two projectiles into East Sea: Seoul

SEOUL

A TV screen shows a file image of a North Korean missile launch during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo)

North Korea fired two projectiles into the sea off its eastern coast on Sept. 20, including at least one ballistic missile, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said.

The incidents came days after Pyongyang reasserted its status as a nuclear-armed state and rejected a United Nations resolution demanding it halt its nuclear activities.

South Korea’s military said the first launch at around 3 p.m. was a ballistic missile fired from near the city of Wonsan that flew around 450 kilometers into the East Sea, a body of water also called the Sea of Japan.

There were no immediate details on the second launch, which Seoul’s Defense Ministry confirmed soon after 6 p.m.

“Our military detected a ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area of North Korea towards the East Sea,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said after the initial launch.

“South Korean and U.S. authorities are conducting a detailed analysis to determine exact specifications,” it said.

The office of the Japanese prime minister said on X that both projectiles were suspected to be ballistic missiles.

Tokyo lodged a “stern protest” with North Korea over the launch and condemned it as a threat to regional peace and security, Japan’s Kyodo news agency cited the government as saying.