According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it detected a missile fired from Wonsan, Kangwon Province at around 3 p.m., followed roughly three hours later by another missile. The first missile traveled approximately 450 kilometers, while the second flew more than 600 kilometers.
North Korea has typically reported its weapons tests and other provocations the day after they occur, touting the launches as evidence of its growing military capabilities. But that pattern has become increasingly inconsistent in recent months.
The North remained silent about three missile launches last month. It also waited two days to report another launch conducted on Sept. 12, which came just a day after South Korea, the United States and Japan wrapped up their annual trilateral military exercise.
Sunday's launches come just before the United Nations General Assembly's annual gathering, which begins Tuesday in the U.S., and days before a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington later this week.
They also came as Pyongyang continued to lash out at joint military exercises involving Japan, South Korea and the U.S. and reiterated its plans to further strengthen its military arsenal as a nuclear-armed state.
AJP Takeaways
- North Korea did not publicly report the ballistic missile launches detected on Sunday, breaking with its usual practice of announcing weapons tests through the state-run Korean Central News Agency the following day.
- The Joint Chiefs of Staff detected two missiles launched from Wonsan, Kangwon Province on Sunday. The first traveled about 450 kilometers, while the second flew more than 600 kilometers.
- The launches came amid North Korea's continued criticism of military cooperation among Japan, South Korea and the United States, as well as ahead of the United Nations General Assembly and a planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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