North Korea launches second missile in a week ahead of US-South Korea drills

North Korea conducted its second ballistic missile test in less than a week on Wednesday (August 12, 2026), according to its neighbours, in a likely protest against upcoming South Korea-U.S. military drills that Pyongyang views as an invasion rehearsal.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said a ballistic missile fired from the eastern coastal Wonsan area around 6 a.m. flew more than 700 km. It said South Korea remains ready to repel any provocations by North Korea in close cooperation with the United States.

South Korea's presidential national security council issued a statement urging North Korea to stop such launches, calling them “acts of provocation” that defy United Nations Security Council resolutions. Multiple UN Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from launching ballistic missiles.

North Korea has ramped up its ballistic and other weapons testing activities to expand its nuclear and missile arsenals since high-stakes diplomacy between leader Kim Jong Un and then-U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. Experts say Kim likely hopes to use his enlarged arsenals to wrest concessions from the U.S., such as easing international economic sanctions on the North.

Japan's Defence Ministry also detected a suspected ballistic missile launch from North Korea on Wednesday. It said the weapon did not reach Japan's exclusive economic zone, suggesting it fell further away from the Japanese coast.

The latest launch came two days after South Korea and the United States announced they would begin their annual large-scale military drills on August 17 to boost readiness against North Korean threats. North Korea has previously responded to the Ulchi Freedom Shield training and other major joint exercises with provocative weapons tests and harsh rhetoric. The U.S. and South Korea have repeatedly said their training is defensive in nature.

After last year's Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises began, Kim Jong Un said the drills demonstrated the U.S. and South Korea's “will to ignite a war” and claimed they had grown more provocative than before, prompting North Korea to respond with “proactive and overwhelming” countermeasures.

On August 6, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan detected the launch of a short-range ballistic missile from North Korea – the North's first ballistic weapons testing activity since late June. North Korea did not confirm that reported launch, though it usually releases details of weapons tests a day later.

In recent years, Kim has also strengthened cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and ammunition to support its war against Ukraine. He has also taken steps to bolster ties with China, the country's traditional ally and economic pipeline. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pyongyang in June, his first trip there in seven years.