N. Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, a day after South Korea, the United States and Japan ended their trilateral Freedom Edge exercise. The Joint Chiefs of Staff detected the launches from the Wonsan area at around 5:20 a.m. The military said it was on full alert and sharing information with the U.S. and Japan. The launch followed North Korean criticism of the drill and came before a planned Trump-Xi summit later this month.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected multiple ballistic missiles launched from the Wonsan area at around 5:20 a.m.

South Korea’s military said it had stepped up surveillance to detect possible additional launches.

The military said it remained on full alert while sharing relevant information with the United States and Japan.

The launch came after South Korea, the United States and Japan concluded their five-day Freedom Edge exercise Friday in international waters east and south of Jeju.

The North last fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Aug. 20 during the allies’ annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills.

Published Sep 12, 2026 9:20 am KST

This undated released by the Korean Central News Agency shows a North Korean missile launch. Yonhap

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Saturday, South Korea's military said, just a day after South Korea, the United States and Japan wrapped up their trilateral military exercise.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected multiple ballistic missiles launched from the Wonsan area at around 5:20 a.m., without providing further details.

The South Korean military has stepped up surveillance to detect possible additional launches, and maintains readiness on "full alert" while sharing relevant information with the U.S. and Japan, the JCS said.

The latest launch came after Seoul, Washington and Tokyo concluded their five-day Freedom Edge exercise Friday in international waters east and south of South Korea's southern island of Jeju.

The drills proceeded as planned despite Seoul and Washington having scaled back their annual combined Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise last month following an order from U.S. President Donald Trump.

In an apparent conciliatory gesture toward Pyongyang, Trump ordered the reduction of joint military drills between South Korea and the U.S., saying that the drills are not only "costly" but also send a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal to the North.

The missile launch came after North Korean Defense Minister Kim Song-gi denounced the trilateral exercise Monday, vowing to take "reflective countermeasures."

In a statement, Kim warned that "If the U.S. and its allies attempt to provoke a new military confrontation with the DPRK, the latter will take strong and reflective countermeasures from the standpoint of power," using the acronym of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The North last fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Aug. 20, as the allies staged their annual UFS drills.

The North has long denounced joint military drills between Seoul and Washington as a rehearsal for invasion and responded with its own weapons tests in a show of protest.

Saturday's launch came ahead of a high-stakes summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to take place in Washington later this month. North Korea-related issues are expected to be part of the agenda for the upcoming Trump-Xi meeting.

韩国军方称，朝鲜周六向东海发射了多枚弹道导弹。此前一天，韩美日三方“自由边缘”联合军演刚刚结束。韩国联合参谋本部于周六凌晨5点20分左右探测到导弹从元山地区发射。军方表示，已进入全面戒备状态，并与美国和日本共享信息。此次发射发生在朝鲜批评此次军演之后，也正值本月晚些时候即将举行的特朗普与习近平峰会之前。

联合参谋本部表示，于凌晨5点20分左右探测到多枚弹道导弹从元山地区发射。

韩国军方表示，已加强监视，以探测可能出现的其他发射活动。

军方表示，他们仍保持高度戒备状态，并与美国和日本分享相关信息。

此次发射是在韩国、美国和日本于周五在济州岛东部和南部国际水域结束为期五天的“自由边缘”演习之后进行的。

朝鲜上一次向东海发射短程弹道导弹是在8月20日，当时正值盟军举行一年一度的“乙支自由之盾”联合军演。

发布于2026年9月12日上午9:20（韩国标准时间）

这张由朝鲜中央通讯社发布的未注明日期的图片显示了朝鲜导弹发射。（韩联社）

韩国军方称，朝鲜周六向东海发射了多枚弹道导弹，而就在一天前，韩国、美国和日本刚刚结束了三方联合军事演习。

联合参谋本部表示，于凌晨5点20分左右探测到从元山地区发射的多枚弹道导弹，但未提供更多细节。

韩国联合参谋本部表示，韩国军方已加强监视，以探测可能出现的更多导弹发射，并保持“全面戒备”状态，同时与美国和日本分享相关信息。

最新一次发射是在首尔、华盛顿和东京于周五在韩国南部济州岛以东和以南的国际水域结束了为期五天的“自由边缘”演习之后进行的。

尽管上个月在美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的命令下，首尔和华盛顿缩减了年度联合乙支自由之盾（UFS）演习的规模，但演习仍按计划进行。

特朗普显然是向平壤示好，下令减少美韩联合军事演习，称这些演习不仅“代价高昂”，而且还向朝鲜发出“完全不恰当和敌对的”信号。

导弹发射之前，朝鲜国防部长金成基周一谴责了三方联合军演，并誓言采取“对等反制措施”。

金正恩在一份声明中警告说，“如果美国及其盟友企图挑起与朝鲜民主主义人民共和国的新一轮军事对抗，朝鲜将从实力角度采取强有力的、深思熟虑的反制措施。”他使用了朝鲜正式国名“朝鲜民主主义人民共和国”的缩写。

朝鲜最近一次向东海发射短程弹道导弹是在 8 月 20 日，当时盟军正在举行一年一度的联合快速反应部队演习。

朝鲜长期以来一直谴责首尔和华盛顿之间的联合军事演习是入侵的预演，并以自己的武器试验作为抗议回应。

周六的发布会正值特朗普与中国国家主席习近平即将于本月晚些时候在华盛顿举行高风险峰会之际。预计朝鲜问题将成为此次会晤的议程之一。