North Korea launches missiles as it dials up pressure against U.S.

September 20, 2026 / 9:00 AM EDT / CBS/AP

North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Sunday, South Korea's military said.

The launches came just days after Pyongyang reasserted its status as a nuclear-armed state and rejected a United Nations resolution demanding it halt its nuclear activities. They were also the latest in a series of weapons demonstrations even after President Trump scaled back a joint military exercise with South Korea last month in an apparent effort to revive diplomacy with the North's leader, Kim Jong Un.

The two missile launches — about three hours apart — were conducted from North Korea's eastern coastal Wonsan area. The first missile flew about 280 miles while the second one flew more than 370 miles, both toward the North's eastern waters, South Korea's military said.

"South Korean and U.S. authorities are conducting a detailed analysis to determine its exact specifications," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said of the second missile.

The missiles eventually ended up in the sea. South Korea's presidential office urged North Korea to immediately halt ballistic missile launches that are banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions. The South's military said it maintains readiness to repel…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/