North Korea fired one or more suspected ballistic missiles toward the sea east of the Korean Peninsula on August 20, 2026, during ongoing joint US-South Korea military drills on the peninsula [1, 2, 3, 4]. The missiles landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, minimizing immediate risk to Japanese territory [1, 2, 4].

The launch coincided with the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which the United States shortened to five days this year from the usual 11. The drills concluded on the same day as the launch, August 20 [1, 3, 4]. Despite relatively warmer personal ties between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s Kim Yo-jong, the leader’s sister, said on August 19 that US hostile policy remains unchanged because of the ongoing joint military exercises. She said, “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” [1, 3, 4].

South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young called for direct talks between Washington and Pyongyang as a vital first step to stopping North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. He said, “The first gateway to stopping North Korea's nuclear program is a meeting between the two sides, and we should work hard to support it” [3, 4]. US President Trump announced plans to meet Kim Jong Un later in 2026 and acknowledged that North Korea has 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons [3, 4]. In contrast, South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back estimated North Korea’s nuclear warhead stockpile at between 80 and 120 [3, 4].

Sources differ on the number of missiles fired on August 20. Most reports say North Korea launched one suspected ballistic missile, while one source claims a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles was fired [1, 2, 3, 4].

This missile launch follows previous short-range ballistic missile tests by North Korea earlier in August, on the 6th and 12th [3, 4]. The military drills involving US and South Korean forces, started shortly before the missile launches, have been seen by Pyongyang as hostile.

The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises officially ended on August 20, the same day as the latest missile launch [1, 3, 4].