North Korea Conducts Twin Ballistic Missile Launches Renewing Focus on Hwasong-11 Series.

North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area on September 20, with South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff preliminarily identifying the first as part of the Hwasong-11 series. The firings matter because this solid-propellant tactical missile family can support dispersed strikes and maneuvering flight profiles that complicate missile-defense planning across the Korean Peninsula.

The two missiles flew roughly 450 and more than 600 kilometers, demonstrating strike distances relevant to military targets across much of South Korea and nearby operational areas. Combined with Hwasong-11-series launches from the Wonsan region eight days earlier, the firings highlight North Korea’s increasing emphasis on a diverse tactical missile force able to vary ranges, trajectories and payloads while sustaining a higher launch tempo.

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North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from Wonsan on September 20, with South Korea preliminarily identifying the first as a Hwasong-11-series weapon amid Pyongyang’s accelerating missile-testing tempo (Picture Source: KCNA)

September 20, 2026, saw North Korea launch two short-range ballistic missiles from its east coast within roughly three hours, adding another pair of firings to an accelerating missile-testing tempo. Both weapons were launched from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, while Japan independently tracked their trajectories and assessed that they fell outside its exclusive economic zone. The episode is particularly significant for defense observers because South Korea’s military reportedly presumed the first missile to belong to the Hwasong-11 series, although detailed analysis of the weapons remained under way. The launches, reported by Yonhap and Reuters and independently detailed by Japan’s Ministry of Defense, place renewed attention on a tactical missile family that has become increasingly important to North Korea’s short-range strike architecture.

South Korea detected the first launch at around 3:00 p.m. local time, assessing that the missile traveled approximately 450 kilometers. The second was launched from the Wonsan area at about 5:50 p.m., nearly three hours later, and flew more than 600 kilometers, according to the JCS. Japan’s Ministry of Defense produced independent tracking estimates: the first missile flew approximately 440 kilometers and reached a maximum altitude of about 60 kilometers, while the second traveled around 590 kilometers and reached roughly 70 kilometers. Japan assessed that both fell outside its EEZ, with no damage to aircraft or vessels reported. The differences between Japanese and South Korean range estimates are consistent with separate national sensor networks and do not alter the common assessment that both events involved short-range ballistic missiles.

The first launch has drawn particular attention because Reuters, citing South Korea’s military, reported that the approximately 450-kilometer weapon was presumed to belong to the Hwasong-11 series. That assessment should nevertheless be treated as preliminary: Yonhap’s subsequent account said further analysis was still being conducted to determine the exact specifications of the September 20 missiles. The Hwasong-11 designation covers an expanding family rather than one standardized weapon. The National Committee on North Korea identifies the modern family as including the Hwasong-11A, or KN-23; Hwasong-11B, or KN-24; Hwasong-11C; Hwasong-11D; and Hwasong-11S. The 11A is broadly analogous in role and appearance to Russia’s Iskander, while the smaller 11B has often been compared with the U.S. ATACMS. Other members include a high-payload variant, a close-range version and a naval derivative, illustrating how Pyongyang has developed Hwasong-11 into a wider tactical strike family rather than a single missile type.

The military significance of the Hwasong-11 family extends beyond range. These solid-propellant missiles offer operational advantages over older liquid-fueled systems by reducing launch preparation and supporting dispersed deployment. Analysis published by the Stimson Center’s 38 North program found that the Hwasong-11A/KN-23 can fly depressed and maneuvering trajectories that complicate missile-defense calculations. Previous launches have demonstrated ranges of roughly 430 to 690 kilometers alongside irregular flight profiles. Such maneuverability can make trajectory prediction and interception more demanding. The approximately 440-450 kilometer range of the September 20 first launch is consistent with previously demonstrated Hwasong-11A performance, but range alone cannot confirm the specific variant.

North Korea has meanwhile continued to expand the Hwasong-11 concept through new payloads and configurations. In April 2026, Pyongyang publicly identified a tactical ballistic missile as the Hwasong-11 Ra, marking its first official use of that designation. According to North Korean state media as reported by Yonhap, the test evaluated cluster-bomb and fragmentation-mine warheads, with five missiles striking a target area approximately 136 kilometers away. The test demonstrated how the Hwasong-11 lineage is being adapted for different tactical effects rather than developed solely around maximum range. There is, however, no public evidence establishing that either missile launched on September 20 was the Hwasong-11 Ra, and the weapons should not be identified as that variant without additional imagery, telemetry or an official North Korean disclosure.

The nearly three-hour interval between the September 20 launches adds another operational dimension, although the available evidence does not establish whether the missiles were fired by the same unit, launcher type or Hwasong-11 variant. More significant is the wider pattern. Only eight days earlier, on September 12, North Korea launched multiple short-range weapons from the same broader Wonsan region; South Korean authorities subsequently assessed those weapons as including Hwasong-11-series ballistic missiles and rounds from 600-millimeter super-large multiple rocket launchers. Japan’s defense minister said that, including the September 20 firings, North Korea had conducted ballistic-missile-related launches on nine occasions involving at least 15 missiles in 2026, compared with four occasions and at least five missiles in 2025. That represents more than double the number of launch events and at least triple the number of missiles recorded by Japan compared with the previous year, underscoring a substantially increased testing tempo.

The launches also occurred against a wider backdrop of regional military activity and renewed diplomatic friction. Pyongyang had recently criticized U.S.-led exercises involving South Korea and Japan, while Seoul’s National Security Office condemned the September 20 launches and said ballistic-missile activity violated relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. The U.S. military said its initial assessment indicated no immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory or allies. On September 21, officials from Japan, the United States and South Korea held a trilateral telephone consultation, reaffirming that North Korea’s ballistic missile launches violated relevant Security Council resolutions and pledging continued coordination. The timing may carry a political-signaling dimension, but the available evidence does not establish Pyongyang’s precise operational or diplomatic objective for the two launches.

The September 20 launches reinforce the growing relevance of the Hwasong-11 series within North Korea’s evolving tactical missile force while underscoring the need for precise identification. The first weapon is preliminarily linked to the Hwasong-11 family, while the second remains identified only as a short-range ballistic missile. More broadly, North Korea is expanding a diverse force of solid-propellant tactical missiles with maneuvering flight profiles, specialized warheads and higher launch tempo. Combined with confirmed Hwasong-11 activity from the Wonsan region eight days earlier, the latest firings highlight a force designed to challenge South Korean, Japanese and U.S. missile-defense networks with multiple ranges, trajectories and payload options.

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Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.