North Korea Fires Projectile Suspected to Be Ballistic Missile

North Korea has been detected launching a projectile, suspected to be a ballistic missile, on Thursday (20/8). The launch was carried out several hours after United States President Donald Trump said he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by the end of this year.

Pyongyang’s launch activity, as reported by AFP on Thursday (20/8/2026), was reported by two of its neighbouring countries, Japan and South Korea.

“North Korea has launched something suspected to be a ballistic missile,” stated the office of the Japanese Prime Minister via social media platform X.

Shortly afterwards, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told AFP that North Korea had been detected firing at least one “unidentified projectile”. Seoul did not provide further details regarding Pyongyang’s launch activity.

The detection of North Korea’s launch came after Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday (19/8) that he would meet Kim Jong Un by the end of this year.

When asked by reporters whether he planned to meet the North Korean leader this year, the US President replied: “Yes, I will do it.”

Trump did not provide further details, but leading US media outlet the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was considering a meeting with Kim Jong Un during a visit to Shenzhen, China, to attend the APEC Summit in November.

The US President also claimed that he had a “very good relationship” with Kim Jong Un. Trump even said he “knew Kim Jong Un very well”.

Trump’s claims are seen as an effort to revive the bond he claimed to have established with the North Korean leader during his first term in office.

Trump’s sudden focus on Kim Jong Un, as well as his decision to scale back joint US-South Korea military exercises, has worried US allies in Asia. It has also sparked speculation that he is seeking a foreign policy success amid stalled diplomacy with Iran.