North Korea Fires Two Ballistic Missiles, Raising Regional Tensions
What Happened
North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, on September 20, 2026. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the first missile travelled about 450 km, while the second flew more than 600 km. Importantly, Japan said the projectile came down outside its Exclusive Economic Zone, not inside or near enough to be described as entering the EEZ.
Key Takeaways
The latesSouth Korea condemned the launches as violations of UN Security Council resolutions and called on North Korea to stop further missile activity. Japan also lodged a protest, while South Korean, American and Japanese authorities tracked and shared information about the launches.