North Korea launches suspected ballistic missile as US-South Korea drills continue
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "North Korea launches suspected ballistic missile as US-South Korea drills continue")
People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul on August 20, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile during joint US-South Korea military exercises, which Pyongyang called hostile, while South Korea urged direct US-North Korea dialogue to halt nuclear ambitions.
North Korea on Thursday (Aug 20) launched a suspected ballistic missile amid ongoing joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, Japan’s prime minister’s office said. “North Korea has launched a suspected ballistic missile. More updates to follow,” the Japanese prime minister’s office said in a brief statement.
South Korea’s military also said Pyongyang had fired an unidentified projectile towards the East Sea, according to Yonhap News Agency. The launch came as US and South Korean forces continued the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises on the Korean Peninsula. The drills are due to end on Friday, having been shortened from 11 days to 5 days.
US President Donald Trump had earlier reduced the duration of the exercises, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The launch was North Korea’s latest weapons test, coming less than a week after Pyongyang fired a short-range ballistic missile on August 12.
North Korea calls drills ‘hostile’
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said on Wednesday that ties between Kim and Trump remained “excellent”, but claimed Washington’s policy towards Pyongyang had not changed.
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“We are paying greater attention to the reality that joint military exercises between the US and South Korea have continued and are still ongoing, and this is an unmistakable expression of hostility toward North Korea,” Kim said.
Her comments came as Washington and Seoul continued their military exercises, which Pyongyang has long opposed, describing them as preparations for an invasion.
Seoul pushes for US-North Korea talks
South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Thursday said direct talks between the US and North Korea would be a critical first step towards stopping Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.
“The first gateway to stopping North Korea’s nuclear programme is a meeting between the two sides, and we should work hard to support it,” Chung said, adding that ending North Korea’s nuclear programme would be in the interests of all parties.
