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North fires ballistic missiles a day after Trump expresses interest in dialogue

Published: 14 Mar. 2026, 13:48 Updated: 14 Mar. 2026, 15:49

Vehicles are parked at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on March 9 as the South Korea-U.S. Freedom Shield joint military exercise begins. [YONHAP]

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Saturday that North Korea fired an unidentified projectile toward the East Sea.

The JCS said the South Korean military detected more than 10 unidentified ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area of North Korea toward the East Sea at around 1:20 p.m.

“The military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance in preparation for possible additional launches,” the JCS said, adding that Seoul is closely sharing information related to the missiles with Washington and Tokyo while maintaining full readiness.

South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are currently analyzing the missile’s specifications and flight range.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said the same day that North Korea had launched an object that could be a ballistic missile, adding that it appears to have already fallen. Japan’s Coast Guard also urged vessels currently at sea to pay attention to further information.

North Korea previously launched a ballistic missile into the East Sea on Jan. 27. If the latest launch is confirmed to be a ballistic missile, it would mark the country’s third launch this year and the first in 47 days.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump met South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok at the White House on Friday, during which the president discussed his “good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump reportedly asked the prime minister whether the North Korean leader would be interested in dialogue with the United States and with him personally. Since returning to the White House in January last year, Trump has repeatedly expressed willingness to resume talks with North Korea.

Despite what some observers described as Trump’s diplomatic “overture,” North Korea responded with a show of force less than a day later.

The latest launch is also widely seen as a protest against the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise currently underway.

South Korea and the United States began the Freedom Shield joint exercise on March 9, a theater-level drill designed to prepare for contingencies on the Korean Peninsula, which will run through Thursday. Although the allies reduced the number of field training exercises by more than half compared to last year, Pyongyang has continued to denounce the drills as a “rehearsal for invasion.”

On Tuesday, Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader's sister and vice department director of the Workers’ Party of Korea’s Central Committee, issued a statement warning that military demonstrations by hostile forces near the North's sovereign territory could lead to “horrifying consequences.”

Updated, March 14, 2026: Added details about the launch, information about the South Korean prime minister's visit to Washington and details about the Freedom Shield exercise and Kim Yo-jong's statement.

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]