Key facts
- North Korea launched more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles.
- The missiles traveled approximately 300 km.
- The launches occurred during joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises.
- Pyongyang has not officially announced or commented on these launches.
- This marks the third consecutive time North Korea has remained silent on missile tests.
North Korea fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, with the projectiles flying approximately 300 km. The launches occurred amid ongoing joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, which Pyongyang has decried as rehearsals for war.
This latest action by North Korea came as President Trump had ordered a scaling back of the allied military exercise in a conciliatory gesture toward North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, seeking to reopen a diplomatic channel.
Notably, North Korea has remained silent on these launches, with no mention in state media outlets like the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) or the Rodong Sinmun as of Friday morning. This marks the third consecutive time Pyongyang has departed from its usual practice of announcing such launches the following day. The country has occasionally omitted launches from state media when they offered little propaganda value.
These recent launches follow similar events on August 12 and August 6, for which Pyongyang also remained silent.