▲ North Korea test-fires the Hwasong-11 Ra surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile at an unspecified location on April 19, 2026, to verify the characteristics and power of a cluster bomb warhead and fragmentation mine warhead applied to the tactical ballistic missile, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. Leader Kim Jong-un observed the test and expressed satisfaction with the performance of the missile's warhead capability, the KCNA said a day after South Korea's military detected multiple short-range ballistic missiles launched toward the East Sea at around 6:10 a.m. from North Korea's Sinpho area. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
▲ North Korea carries out a joint strike drill involving long-range artillery and missile units on Sept. 12, 2026, in this photo published by the Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 14. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(ATTN: UPDATES with latest details; CHANGES headline, lead)

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea within hours of each other Sunday, ahead of a high-stakes summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping set for later this week.

The missile were detected about three hours apart -- the first at around 3:00 p.m. and the second at roughly 5:50 p.m., both launched from the Wonsan area, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The first missile flew about 450 kilometers, while the second flew more than 600 km, the JCS said, adding that further analysis was under way to determine the exact specifications.

The JCS said the South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities tracked and shared related details from the initial stage of the launch, and shared information on the missile launch with Japan as well.

"We are closely monitoring North Korea's various activities and maintain the capability and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocations, under the staunch South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture," it added.

The latest missile launches came ahead of the upcoming Trump-Xi summit, expected to take place in Washington this Thursday (local time).

Trump has repeatedly expressed a willingness to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, possibly later this year, while it remains unclear how far Beijing would go to push its Cold War-era ally to return to dialogue.

A focal point of the summit is whether the two leaders will reaffirm their commitment to the North's denuclearization, a goal Pyongyang has fiercely resisted as it doubles down on its nuclear and weapons development, claiming it as a legitimate right to defend against U.S. aggression.

Sunday's missile launches are seen as the North's attempt to send a message to the Trump administration that it has no intention of backing down on its continued military buildup.

The missile launches also came just days after Pyongyang vowed to take "responsive action" against continued U.S.-led military drills in the region. Pyongyang has ramped up criticism of key regional military exercises involving Seoul, Washington or Japan.

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, condemned the U.S.-led multinational Pacific Vanguard maritime drills and vowed to respond in proportion or in a more offensive manner.

The North has recently issued statements denouncing the bilateral Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise between South Korea and the U.S., and the trilateral Freedom Edge drills involving Japan.

Pyongyang has long denounced the allies' drills as rehearsals for invasion.

Sunday's launches came about a week after the North fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles from the same region toward the East Sea on Sept. 12.

In a media dispatch two days later, the North said the country had conducted a firepower strike drill involving artillery and missile units featuring new combat systems, including attack drones, tactical cruise missiles, large-caliber multiple rocket launchers and tactical ballistic missiles.

Following the North's first missile launch on Sunday, South Korea's National Security Office (NSO) convened an emergency security meeting with the defense ministry and the JCS to discuss the latest missile launch.

"We assessed our response posture, analyzed and evaluated the impact the latest missile launch has on our national security and reviewed corresponding actions," the office said.

The NSO urged Pyongyang to cease such military actions immediately, reiterating that its ballistic missile launches amount to a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning its nuclear and missile development.

In the previous missile launch, the missiles were assessed to be Hwasong-11 series short-range ballistic missiles and rounds fired from 600-millimeter super-large multiple rocket launchers.

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