North Korea fired an unidentified projectile off its east coast on Thursday, shortly after dismissing a U.S. decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea.

North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile toward the sea on Thursday, August 20, 2026, according to the Japanese prime minister's office. South Korea's military also reported that an unidentified projectile was fired off the North's east coast. The launch occurred one day after North Korean official Kim Yo Jong rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to reduce the scale of the ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises.

Response to Military Exercises

The U.S. and South Korean militaries announced on Wednesday that they were scaling back the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises. President Trump had ordered the Pentagon to reduce the drills, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s stance regarding the war in Iran. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the North Korean leader, dismissed the reduction as insufficient, stating that the provocative nature of the drills remains unchanged regardless of their size or duration.

North Korean Stance on Diplomacy

Kim Yo Jong indicated that the U.S. should not expect a positive response to the measure, characterizing the reduction as an attempt to propagate a false sense of good faith. She further cited previous military drills conducted by the U.S. and South Korea earlier this year, as well as South Korea’s efforts to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, as ongoing points of contention.