North Korea Characterizes Recent Missile Launches as Scheduled Military Drills

Once again, the Korean Peninsula finds itself navigating the familiar choreography of missile launches and carefully chosen words, as Pyongyang frames its latest ballistic activity not as provocation but as scheduled military preparation. The distinction between a 'test' and an 'exercise' may seem semantic, yet in the diplomatic grammar of Northeast Asia, such language carries real weight — shaping how allies and adversaries alike read intent. North Korea's statement, released through state media in September 2026, arrives against a backdrop of sustained regional tension, reminding the world t