North Korea tests new KN-23 missiles used to strike Ukraine
Photo: KN-23 (flickr.com)
On September 20, North Korea conducted two short-range missile launches from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea. According to an assessment by the Japanese Ministry of Defense, both projectiles flew significantly farther and higher than previous missiles of this type, according to the OSINT platform Janes.
2 launches within 3 hours
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff states that Pyongyang fired two missiles, which were classified as short-range ballistic missiles. The first launch was recorded at approximately 3 p.m. local time on September 20, and the second at 5:50 p.m.
According to Japan's Ministry of Defense, the first missile traveled 440 km and reached an altitude of 60 km, while the second traveled 590 km and reached an altitude of 70 km. Both projectiles fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Higher trajectory suggests new variant
Janes notes that the recorded flight parameters suggest these are derivatives of the KN-23 missile family, although neither the Japanese Ministry of Defense nor the JCS has officially identified the missile type.
The OSINT platform emphasizes that previous KN-23 tests demonstrated a range of up to 690 km on low trajectories—at altitudes ranging from 37 to 60 km. In contrast, the missiles launched on September 20 flew along significantly higher trajectories, which may indicate the development of a modified variant, a different warhead configuration, or a separate test profile.
Janes notes that a similar incident was recorded earlier: an unidentified short-range missile, launched on August 12 and also likely derived from the KN-23, flew 690 km and reached an altitude of 90 km.
In August, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the increasing supply of missiles from Pyongyang indicated that Moscow was preparing for a further escalation of the war, and that North Korean-made KN-23 ballistic missiles are being used with increasing frequency against Ukrainian cities.
This is not Pyongyang's first test launch this summer: On August 12, North Korea also launched a ballistic missile from the Wonsan area, which traveled about 700 km and marked the DPRK's eleventh ballistic missile test since the beginning of 2026.
