North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Tuesday, according to officials, in what appears to be the country’s second reported ballistic missile launch in under a week.
The latest launch was announced by the office of Japan’s prime minister. Initial information on the missile’s flight path, distance traveled and point of impact was not immediately released.
The U.S. military said it was tracking the situation and coordinating with regional allies and partners following the launch.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches a sea-to-surface strategic cruise missile test from the destroyer in an image released by North Korean state media. (KCNA via KNS / AFP via Getty Images, File)
“We are aware of the recent missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners. Based on current assessments, these events do not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies,” U.S. Pacific Command said in a statement. “The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region.”
Tuesday’s launch follows a short-range ballistic missile test conducted by North Korea from the eastern Wonsan area on Aug. 5.
That earlier missile fell into waters off North Korea’s east coast and did not enter Japanese territory, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at the time.
Koizumi said the North’s continued missile activity represents a threat to Japan and the wider region. Tokyo also filed a protest with Pyongyang through the countries’ embassies in Beijing.
North Korea test-fired a short-range ballistic missile on Aug. 5. The Hwasong-11LA ground-to-ground tactical short-range ballistic missile is seen being test-fired at an undisclosed location on April 19, 2026, according to the Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA/Reuters)
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South Korea’s military bolstered its surveillance posture and coordinated with the U.S. and Japan following the Aug. 5 launch, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
South Korea’s presidential national security council called that launch “a provocation” that violated U.N. Security Council resolutions and urged North Korea to stop its missile activity.
The launches come ahead of annual joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea, which are typically held during the second half of August.
“This annual exercise aims to build understanding between Combined Forces Command, United States Forces Korea, the United Nations Command, and ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), ROK government agency, ensuring their ability to fortify the combined defense posture and enhance Alliance response capabilities against a spectrum of security threats,” United States Forces Korea has said of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises.
U.S. soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division participate in a river crossing exercise as part of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise last year, in Yeoju-gun, South Korea. (Getty Images, File)
“It will feature live, virtual, constructive and field-based training, engaging personnel from the various military services,” it added.
U.S. and South Korean officials have said the training is defensive in nature, while North Korea has characterized the exercises as preparation for an invasion and has often responded to military drills with missile tests.
The Aug. 5 test was North Korea’s first ballistic missile launch since late June, when it tested a tactical ballistic missile carrying what state media described as a “special mission” warhead along with other weapons.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said following those tests that his military needed to bolster its “deadly and destructive offensive posture.”
