N. Korean state media again silent on missile launches

Seoul, September 13 - North Korean state media remained eerily quiet on the ballistic missiles they launched earlier that day, a trend that has persisted since early August, according to Yonhap news agency reports. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and Rodong Sinmun, the country's most widely read newspaper, issued no commentary on the launches at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

On August 28, North Korea had fired several short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area, targeting the East Sea, just after the conclusion of a trilateral military exercise involving South Korea, the United States, and Japan. This missile test followed others in early August, including those fired on August 6 and August 12, and a larger barrage on August 20, conducted as part of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise.

Remarkably, North Korean state media did not report on any of these launches either. Historically, the regime has relied on its state media to announce ballistic missile tests, especially when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has personally directed them. The current absence of official commentary coincides with recent overtures of goodwill from President Donald Trump towards Pyongyang.

During his tenure, Trump has met with Kim Jong-un three times: in Singapore in June 2018, in Hanoi in February 2019, and at the Panmunjom border village in June 2019.