N. Korea fires 2 short-range ballistic missiles hours apart ahead of Trump-Xi summit

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area on Sunday, hours apart, ahead of a Trump-Xi summit expected later this week in Washington. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches were detected at about 3:00 p.m. and 5:50 p.m. The first missile flew about 450 kilometers, while the second flew more than 600 km. South Korean and U.S. intelligence tracked the launches, and South Korea urged Pyongyang to stop such actions immediately.

The first missile was detected at around 3:00 p.m., and the second at roughly 5:50 p.m., about three hours apart.

Both missiles were launched from the Wonsan area, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

South Korea said its National Security Office held an emergency security meeting with the defense ministry and the JCS after the first launch.

The NSO said the launches violate U.N. Security Council resolutions banning North Korea’s nuclear and missile development.

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles from the same region on Sept. 12, and later described that launch as a firepower strike drill involving artillery and missile units.

Published Sep 20, 2026 3:29 pm KST

Updated Sep 20, 2026 8:53 pm KST

On Sept. 12, a day after a joint military exercise "Freedom Edge" by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan concluded, a news broadcast regarding North Korea's short-range ballistic missile launch is being aired at Seoul Station. Yonhap

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea within hours of each other Sunday, ahead of a high-stakes summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping set for later this week.

The missile were detected about three hours apart — the first at around 3:00 p.m. and the second at roughly 5:50 p.m., both launched from the Wonsan area, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The first missile flew about 450 kilometers, while the second flew more than 600 km, the JCS said, adding that further analysis was under way to determine the exact specifications.

The JCS said the South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities tracked and shared related details from the initial stage of the launch, and shared information on the missile launch with Japan as well.

"We are closely monitoring North Korea's various activities and maintain the capability and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocations, under the staunch South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture," it added.

The latest missile launches came ahead of the upcoming Trump-Xi summit, expected to take place in Washington this Thursday (local time).

Trump has repeatedly expressed a willingness to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, possibly later this year, while it remains unclear how far Beijing would go to push its Cold War-era ally to return to dialogue.

A focal point of the summit is whether the two leaders will reaffirm their commitment to the North's denuclearization, a goal Pyongyang has fiercely resisted as it doubles down on its nuclear and weapons development, claiming it as a legitimate right to defend against U.S. aggression.

Sunday's missile launches are seen as the North's attempt to send a message to the Trump administration that it has no intention of backing down on its continued military buildup.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, shakes hands with President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, May 14, 2026. AP-Yonhap

The missile launches also came just days after Pyongyang vowed to take "responsive action" against continued U.S.-led military drills in the region. Pyongyang has ramped up criticism of key regional military exercises involving Seoul, Washington or Japan.

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, condemned the U.S.-led multinational Pacific Vanguard maritime drills and vowed to respond in proportion or in a more offensive manner.

The North has recently issued statements denouncing the bilateral Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise between South Korea and the U.S., and the trilateral Freedom Edge drills involving Japan.

Pyongyang has long denounced the allies' drills as rehearsals for invasion.

Sunday's launches came about a week after the North fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles from the same region toward the East Sea on Sept. 12.

In a media dispatch two days later, the North said the country had conducted a firepower strike drill involving artillery and missile units featuring new combat systems, including attack drones, tactical cruise missiles, large-caliber multiple rocket launchers and tactical ballistic missiles.

Following the North's first missile launch on Sunday, South Korea's National Security Office (NSO) convened an emergency security meeting with the defense ministry and the JCS to discuss the latest missile launch.

"We assessed our response posture, analyzed and evaluated the impact the latest missile launch has on our national security and reviewed corresponding actions," the office said.

The NSO urged Pyongyang to cease such military actions immediately, reiterating that its ballistic missile launches amount to a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning its nuclear and missile development.

In the previous missile launch, the missiles were assessed to be Hwasong-11 series short-range ballistic missiles and rounds fired from 600-millimeter super-large multiple rocket launchers.

周日，朝鲜在元山地区向东海发射了两枚短程弹道导弹，两次发射相隔数小时。此次发射正值特朗普与习近平预计将于本周晚些时候在华盛顿举行峰会前夕。韩国联合参谋本部表示，发射分别于下午3点和5点50分左右被探测到。第一枚导弹飞行了约450公里，第二枚导弹飞行了超过600公里。韩国和美国的情报部门追踪了此次发射，韩国敦促平壤立即停止此类行动。

第一枚导弹大约在下午 3 点被探测到，第二枚导弹大约在下午 5 点 50 分被探测到，两次探测相隔约 3 小时。

据韩国联合参谋本部称，两枚导弹均从元山地区发射。

韩国表示，在首次发射后，其国家安全办公室与国防部和联合参谋本部举行了紧急安全会议。

朝鲜国家安全局表示，这些发射违反了联合国安理会禁止朝鲜发展核武器和导弹的决议。

9月12日，朝鲜从同一地区发射了多枚短程弹道导弹，后来将此次发射描述为一次火力打击演习，涉及炮兵和导弹部队。

发布于2026年9月20日下午3:29（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月20日晚上8:53（韩国标准时间）

9月12日，即韩美日“自由之刃”联合军事演习结束的第二天，首尔站正在播出有关朝鲜短程弹道导弹发射的新闻广播。（韩联社）

周日，朝鲜在数小时内向东海发射了两枚短程弹道导弹，而美国总统唐纳德·特朗普和中国国家主席习近平将于本周晚些时候举行一场至关重要的峰会。

韩国联合参谋本部表示，两枚导弹相隔约三小时被探测到——第一枚大约在下午 3 点，第二枚大约在下午 5 点 50 分，两枚导弹均从元山地区发射。

联合参谋部表示，第一枚导弹飞行了约450公里，第二枚导弹飞行了超过600公里，并补充说，正在进行进一步分析以确定确切的规格。

韩国联合参谋本部表示，韩国和美国的情报部门从发射初期就开始跟踪和分享相关细节，并与日本分享了导弹发射信息。

声明还补充说：“我们正在密切关注朝鲜的各种活动，并保持着强大的能力和准备，在韩美联合防御态势下，对任何挑衅行为做出压倒性回应。”

最新导弹发射发生在即将于本周四（当地时间）在华盛顿举行的特朗普-习近平峰会之前。

特朗普曾多次表示愿意与朝鲜领导人金正恩重新接触，可能就在今年晚些时候，但目前尚不清楚北京会采取什么措施来推动其冷战时期的盟友重返对话。

此次峰会的焦点是两位领导人是否会重申对朝鲜无核化的承诺，而平壤一直强烈抵制这一目标，并加倍推进其核武器研发，声称这是朝鲜为抵御美国侵略而享有的合法权利。

周日的导弹发射被视为朝鲜试图向特朗普政府发出信号，表明其无意在持续的军事建设上做出让步。

2026年5月14日，中国国家主席习近平（左）在北京人民大会堂与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普握手。（美联社-韩联社）

导弹发射发生在平壤誓言对美国主导的该地区持续军事演习采取“回应行动”的几天之后。平壤加大了对首尔、华盛顿或日本参与的重要地区性军事演习的批评力度。

朝鲜领导人金正恩的妹妹金与正谴责了美国领导的多国联合“太平洋先锋”海上演习，并誓言将以对等或更具侵略性的方式予以回应。

朝鲜最近发表声明，谴责韩国和美国之间的“乙支自由之盾”双边联合军演以及包括日本在内的三方“自由边缘”联合军演。

平壤长期以来一直谴责盟军的演习是入侵的预演。

周日的发射发生在朝鲜于 9 月 12 日从同一地区向东海发射多枚短程弹道导弹大约一周之后。

两天后，朝鲜在一份媒体声明中表示，该国进行了一次火力打击演习，参演的炮兵和导弹部队使用了包括攻击无人机、战术巡航导弹、大口径多管火箭炮和战术弹道导弹在内的新型作战系统。

继朝鲜周日首次发射导弹后，韩国国家安全办公室（NSO）与国防部和联合参谋本部召开紧急安全会议，讨论此次导弹发射事件。

该办公室表示：“我们评估了我们的应对态势，分析和评价了最新导弹发射对我们国家安全的影响，并审查了相应的行动。”

国家安全组织敦促平壤立即停止此类军事行动，并重申其弹道导弹发射违反了联合国安理会禁止其发展核武器和导弹的决议。

在前一次导弹发射中，经评估，导弹为火星-11系列短程弹道导弹，炮弹由600毫米超大型多管火箭炮发射。