North Korea Launches Suspected Ballistic Missile Towards Sea, Japan Confirms

Last Updated:March 14, 2026, 11:14 IST

North Korea fired a possible ballistic missile towards the sea on Saturday, landing off its east coast amid US-South Korea military drills, say Japan and South Korea.

North Korea fired a projectile towards the sea on Saturday, according to South Korea and Japan, with Tokyo saying it may have been a ballistic missile. The launch came as the United States and South Korea conducted military drills.

The projectile was launched toward waters off North Korea’s east coast, the South Korean military said in a brief message to reporters, without providing further details. Japan’s coast guard said the projectile appeared to have landed in the sea.

Citing defence ministry sources, Reuters reported that the projectile appeared ​to have fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic ​zone, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported.

Seoul and Washington, D.C. began the large-scale military drills five days earlier, describing them as purely defensive exercises designed to test readiness against potential threats from North Korea.

Nuclear-armed North Korea has frequently expressed anger over such exercises, calling them “dress rehearsals" for armed aggression by the United States and South Korea.

On Thursday, South Korea’s prime minister met Donald Trump in Washington to discuss ways to reopen dialogue with the North, which has been suspended since 2019.

News world North Korea Launches Suspected Ballistic Missile Towards Sea, Japan Confirms

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