Japan, US and South Korea Condemn North Korean Missile Barrage

August 21, 2026
By Mintesinot Nigussie

Japan, the United States and South Korea have condemned North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launch and reaffirmed security coordination after Pyongyang fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea on August 20.

The missiles were launched from the Pyongyang area at about 5pm local time and travelled roughly 300km towards North Korea’s eastern waters, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. Japan also detected at least one suspected ballistic missile, which fell outside its exclusive economic zone.

The launch came while the US and South Korea were conducting their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises. The drills had been scaled back following US President Donald Trump’s decision to substantially reduce the exercise, a move he linked to his interest in reopening diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

On August 21, Ariyoshi Takashi, deputy director-general of Japan’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, held a telephone meeting with Baek Yong-jin, director-general for Korean Peninsula Policy at South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and David Wilezol, deputy assistant secretary at the US Department of State.

The three officials reaffirmed that North Korea’s ballistic missile launches violate relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and called on Pyongyang to stop what they described as provocations threatening regional and international peace and security.

They also reaffirmed close coordination among Japan, the US and South Korea in responding to North Korea’s military activities.

The missile launch highlights the tension between Washington’s renewed interest in engaging Pyongyang and North Korea’s continued military signalling. Trump has expressed interest in meeting Kim again later this year, while Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, has dismissed the reduction in US-South Korean exercises as insufficient, even as she indicated that her brother’s personal relationship with Trump remained positive.

North Korea has repeatedly criticised US-South Korean military exercises as preparations for an attack. The latest launches came as the scaled-back Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise was approaching its scheduled conclusion.

The latest trilateral consultation follows a series of recent North Korean missile launches and reflects continued efforts by Japan, the US and South Korea to maintain a coordinated response while Washington explores the possibility of renewed direct talks with Pyongyang.

Source: FSX Business News