North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles towards the sea

By AP and Reuters. Published On 12 Oct 202612 Oct 2026.

Key points

• South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) remarked one of the missiles flew more than 900km (559 miles) from the Pyongyang area on Monday.
• According to South Korea's presidential office, pyongyang's repeated missile launches violate United Nations Security Council resolutions, urging an immediate stop.
• On October 3, North Korea additionally tested a hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to evade missile defences in South Korea and Japan.
• Last week, Seoul demanded an apology after a landmine blast wounded three soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea.
• Lee pledged to reopen dialogue with North Korea in his first speech after taking office in 2025.

North Korea has fired multiple ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military notes.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) remarked one of the missiles flew more than 900km (559 miles) from the Pyongyang area on Monday. The joint chiefs did not specify how plenty of missiles were detected.

Japan's coastguard remarked on Monday that North Korea had fired two unidentified projectiles, believed to be ballistic missiles. It appeared to have already fallen.

As both countries have been conducting weapons tests, monday's missile launch adds to heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

JCS spokesperson Jang Do-young remarked the latest missile launch appears to be a show of force since South Korea's hypersonic missile test-fire.

On Thursday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung oversaw the country's first test-firing of a hypersonic missile, a rare public showcasing of a missile test by a South Korean president.

Lee's office remarked the hypersonic weapon, once fully developed, would enhance South Korea's ability to strike key targets by surprise in the "Korean Peninsula theatre of operations".

Last week, Seoul demanded an apology after a landmine blast wounded three soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea. A joint South Korean-UN investigation concluded that two landmines were planted by North Korean forces regarding a year ago. Pyongyang dismissed the claim and accused South Korea of provocation.

Prior to the border mine blast, Seoul remarked it was conducting "preliminary coordination efforts" to facilitate dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington.

While rejecting US and South Korean offers to resume stalled diplomacy, north Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to flaunt his nuclear weapons programme.

Discussions between Kim and US President Donald Trump abruptly concluded in 2019. Kim Jong Un's administration continues to demand that Washington abandon its "hostile" policy towards Pyongyang and drop demands for North Korea's denuclearisation as a condition for negotiations.

Taken together, the developments around north Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles towards the sea point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.