A TV display exhibits a file picture of North Korea’s missile launch throughout a information program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026.
| Picture Credit score: AP
North Korea on Wednesday (August 12, 2026) carried out its second ballistic missile take a look at in lower than per week, its neighbors stated, a probable protest of the upcoming South Korea-U.S. military drills that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Workers stated a ballistic missile fired from the North’s japanese coastal Wonsan space round 6 a.m. flew greater than 700 km. It stated South Korea stays able to repel any provocations by North Korea in cooperation with the USA.
South Korea’s Presidential nationwide safety council issued a press release urging North Korea to cease ballistic missile launches, which it stated are “acts of provocation” that defy UN Safety Council resolutions.
A number of UN Safety Council resolutions ban North Korea from launching ballistic missiles. However North Korea has ramped up ballistic and different weapons testing actions to increase its nuclear and missile arsenals since Kim’s high-stakes diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump fell aside in 2019. Consultants say Kim possible hopes to make use of his enlarged arsenals to wrest concessions from the U.S., akin to enjoyable of worldwide financial sanctions on the North.
Japan’s Protection Ministry stated on Wednesday (August 12) it additionally noticed a suspected ballistic missile launch from North Korea. It stated it did not detect the weapon reaching Japan’s unique financial zone, suggesting it was believed to have fallen additional away from the Japanese coast.
The newest launch got here two days after South Korea and the USA introduced they’ll kick off their annual large-scale army drills on Aug. 17 to beef up readiness in opposition to North Korean threats.
North Korea has beforehand responded to the Ulchi Freedom Protect coaching and different main South Korea-US army workouts with provocative weapons checks and harsh rhetoric. The US and South Korea have repeatedly stated their coaching is defensive in nature.
After final 12 months’s Ulchi Freedom Protect coaching workouts started, North Korean chief Kim Jong Un stated the drills confirmed the US and South Korea’s “will to ignite a conflict” and claimed they’ve grown extra provocative than earlier than, which has prompted North Korea to reply with “proactive and overwhelming” countermeasures.
On Aug. 6, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan detected the launch of a short-range ballistic missile from North Korea in what was the North’s first ballistic weapons testing exercise since late June. North Korea did not verify the reported launch, although it normally releases particulars of weapons checks a day later.
Lately, Mr. Kim has boosted his diplomatic footprint by strengthening cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and ammunition to assist its conflict in opposition to Ukraine. He is additionally lately taken steps to bolster ties with China, the nation’s conventional ally and financial pipeline. Chinese language President Xi Jinping visited the North Korean capital Pyongyang in June for the primary time in seven years.
Revealed – August 12, 2026 10:09 am IST
