North Korea fires two ballistic missiles toward Sea of Japan

ASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
September 22, 2026

Photo courtesy: Stars and Stripes

SEOUL/TOKYO — North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the Sea of Japan on Sunday, September 20, with both believed to have landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to South Korean and Japanese authorities.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched about three hours apart, at around 3 PM and 5:50 PM from Wonsan on North Korea’s eastern coast.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said the first missile traveled about 440 kilometers, reaching a maximum altitude of around 60 kilometers. The second flew approximately 590 kilometers and reached an altitude of about 70 kilometers. Both were estimated to have fallen outside Japan’s EEZ.

Japanese authorities said no damage to aircraft or ships had been confirmed following the launches.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tokyo lodged a protest against North Korea through its embassy channels in Beijing.

Koizumi said the ballistic missile launches violated relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and posed a serious concern for public safety. Japan, South Korea and the United States were continuing to analyze information about the launches.

The launches came eight days after North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area on September 12.

North Korea had also recently criticized military exercises involving the United States and its regional partners. On September 18, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, condemned the U.S.-led Pacific Vanguard maritime exercise and said Pyongyang would further strengthen its nuclear deterrent.

North Korea initially made no announcement about Sunday’s launches. On Tuesday, September 22, state-run Korean Central News Agency said the country had tested a new weapon system on Sunday in the presence of Kim Jong Un, but did not identify the system. South Korea’s military said the announcement referred to the two short-range ballistic missiles detected from Wonsan.

The original September 21 report was based on information from Jiji Press carried by the Philippine News Agency.