North Korea launches 700-km ballistic missile from Wonsan
The launch was North Korea's 11th ballistic missile test this year, coming days before the Aug. 17-27 South Korea-U.S. drills.
North Korea launched one ballistic missile from the Wonsan area on Wednesday morning, which flew more than 700 kilometers toward the Sea of Japan, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. South Korea's military detected the launch at about 06.00 local time and said the missile was believed to have landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. Seoul stepped up surveillance and readiness while sharing information with the United States and Japan. The JCS said South Korea and the United States were still analyzing the missile's exact characteristics. It was North Korea's 11th ballistic missile launch in 2026. The latest test came days before the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise on 17-27 August, which Pyongyang has long denounced as a provocation.