---
title: "North Korea Launches Two Missiles on an Abnormally High Trajectory: Janes Points to a New KN-23 Variant"
description: "On 20 September, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles from Wonsan on abnormally high trajectories. Janes links the launches to a new KN-23 variant that is being used to shell Ukrainian cities."
date: 2026-09-22T10:50:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/north-korea-kn-23-high-trajectory-launches-2026
tags: [north-korea, kn-23, ballistic-missile, japan, south-korea, ukraine-war, janes]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# North Korea Launches Two Missiles on an Abnormally High Trajectory: Janes Points to a New KN-23 Variant

![North Korea ballistic missile launch from a mobile launcher — possible new KN-23 variant per Janes](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/22/kndr-rakety-kn-23-vysokaya-traektoriia-2026/kndr-rakety-kn-23-vysokaya-traektoriia-2026-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- On 20 September, North Korea carried out two launches of short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area at an interval of about three hours
- According to Japan's Ministry of Defense, the missiles traveled 440 and 590 km at altitudes of 60 and 70 km — significantly higher and farther than previous tests of this type
- Janes suggested that the projectiles are KN-23 derivatives with a modified configuration, although no official identification of the type was made
- The launches come amid Kyiv's warnings about increased deliveries of North Korean missiles to Russia and their use against Ukrainian cities

On 20 September 2026, North Korea carried out two launches of short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the Sea of Japan. This was reported by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea, which classified both projectiles as short-range ballistic missiles. The first launch was recorded at approximately 15:00 local time, the second at 17:50, i.e. at an interval of about three hours. Both missiles landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, which, according to Tokyo, posed no direct threat to the country's territory.

### Flight parameters: higher and farther than previous tests

The Japanese Ministry of Defense published preliminary data on the trajectories. The first missile traveled 440 km and reached an altitude of 60 km, the second — 590 km and 70 km respectively. According to the Japanese ministry's assessment, both projectiles flew significantly farther and higher than previous missiles of the same type, making these launches anomalous against the backdrop of existing North Korean test statistics. Neither Japan's Ministry of Defense nor South Korea's JCS officially named the type of missiles launched.

### Janes assessment: likely KN-23 derivative with a modified configuration

The OSINT platform Janes, citing the recorded flight parameters, suggested that these are derivatives of the KN-23 missile family. Janes notes that preliminary KN-23 tests demonstrated a range of up to 690 km on low trajectories — at altitudes of 37 to 60 km. The missiles launched on 20 September flew on significantly higher trajectories, which, in the platform's analysts' view, may indicate the development of a modified variant, a different warhead configuration, or the conduct of a separate test profile. A similar case had been recorded earlier: on 12 August, an unidentified short-range missile, presumably also a KN-23 derivative, traveled 690 km and reached an altitude of 90 km.

### Contradictory data

Open sources show a minor discrepancy in the figures concerning the August launch. In one part of the report on 12 August, the missile is described as having traveled 690 km, while in another — as "about 700 km." The 10 km difference may be due to rounding or to the fact that some sources cite data from Japan's Ministry of Defense, while others cite preliminary JCS estimates. Moreover, the identification of the 20 September missiles as KN-23 derivatives is exclusively an analytical assessment by Janes: neither Tokyo nor Seoul has officially confirmed or refuted the type of the projectiles. Thus, the claim of a "new version of the KN-23" remains a hypothesis, not an established fact.

### Context: escalation and the link to the Ukrainian front

The 20 September launches were not Pyongyang's first test launches this summer. On 12 August, North Korea also launched a ballistic missile from the Wonsan area that traveled about 700 km; that launch became the eleventh North Korean ballistic test since the beginning of 2026. Against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Europe, the context of these tests gains additional significance: in August, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the increased supply of missiles from Pyongyang indicates Moscow's preparation for further escalation of the conflict, and that North Korean-made KN-23 ballistic missiles are, in his words, being increasingly used against Ukrainian cities. Thus, each new launch in the Sea of Japan is viewed by Western and Ukrainian analysts not only as an element of North Korea's nuclear doctrine, but also as an indicator of which specific modifications may in the future end up in the arsenal of Russian forces.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Higher and farther: North Korea tested new KN-23-type missiles used to shell Ukraine](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/vishche-ta-dali-kndr-viprobuvala-novi-raketi-1790074009.html) - Подтверждает факт двух пусков 20 сентября, параметры полёта по данным Минобороны Японии, оценку Janes о производных KN-23, контекст поставок в Россию и заявление Зеленского.
- [North Korea testing a new version of the KN-23: missiles flew on an unusual trajectory](https://tsn.ua/ru/svit/kndr-ispytyvaet-novuyu-versiyu-kn-23-rakety-poleteli-po-neobychnoy-traektorii-3173237.html) - Подтверждает аномальность траектории и ссылается на данные Janes. Согласуется с основными цифрами (440/590 км, 60/70 км).
- [North Korea launched two ballistic missiles at a three-hour interval](https://news.rambler.ru/army/57097821-kndr-s-intervalom-v-tri-chasa-zapustila-dve-ballisticheskie-rakety/) - Подтверждает интервал пусков (~3 часа) и квалификацию как баллистических ракет малой дальности по данным ОКНШ.
- [North Korea tested new KN-23 missiles](https://mignews.com/news/politic/kndr-ispytala-novye-rakety-kn-23.html) - Подтверждает факт испытаний и связь с семейством KN-23. Цифры траекторий согласуются с другими источниками.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What exactly were the missiles North Korea launched on 20 September?
**A:** Officially, neither Japan's Ministry of Defense nor South Korea's JCS named the type of missiles. The OSINT platform Janes, based on the flight parameters, suggested that these are derivatives of the KN-23 family, however this identification is an analytical assessment, not a confirmed fact.

### Q: Why are the trajectories of the 20 September launches considered anomalous?
**A:** Previous KN-23 tests demonstrated a range of up to 690 km at altitudes of 37–60 km. The 20 September missiles flew at altitudes of 60 and 70 km at ranges of 440 and 590 km — according to Janes, this is significantly higher than the typical profile and may indicate a modified variant or a different warhead configuration.

### Q: Did the missiles threaten Japanese territory?
**A:** No. According to Japan's Ministry of Defense, both projectiles landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone and posed no direct threat to the country's territory.

### Q: Are these launches linked to missile deliveries to Russia?
**A:** No direct link between the specific 20 September launches and deliveries to Russia has been established. However, in August, President Zelenskyy warned that the increased supply of North Korean missiles indicates preparation for escalation, and that KN-23 ballistic missiles are being used against Ukrainian cities. Against this backdrop, the new tests are viewed as a possible indicator of the development of modifications.