North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Monday, according to South Korea's military, adding to a recent wave of weapons demonstrations that has kept tensions high as diplomatic efforts remain frozen.
Jang Do-young, spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the missiles were launched from the vicinity of Pyongyang, where the country's main airport has frequently served as a launch site. One missile traveled more than 900 kilometers before splashing down, but Jang did not provide details on the others or specify the total number detected.
Japan's Deputy Defense Minister Takashi Koyari reported that Tokyo tracked at least two missiles fired 17 minutes apart. The first flew about 220 kilometers, while the second covered more than 910 kilometers along an "irregular" trajectory—language Japanese officials have used before to describe hypersonic weapons. No damage to aircraft or vessels was reported.
The launch follows an Oct. 3 test of what North Korea described as a hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to evade missile defenses in South Korea and Japan. Pyongyang has been steadily expanding its arsenal of nuclear-capable systems, conducting other missile tests, live-fire drills, and even commissioning a new warship as leader Kim Jong Un continues to flaunt his nuclear program while rejecting offers from Washington and Seoul to resume dialogue.
Monday's action came days after South Korea flight-tested its own domestically developed hypersonic weapon, capable of flying at least five times the speed of sound and evading missile defenses. President Lee Jae Myung called the test critical for strengthening the South's conventional defense capabilities. The presidential office said the weapon, once fully developed, would enhance Seoul's ability to strike key targets by surprise in the Korean Peninsula theater of operations.
Jang suggested the latest North Korean launches were likely aimed at advancing missile technology and possibly responding to the South's hypersonic test. South Korea's presidential national security office urged Pyongyang to "immediately cease" its repeated ballistic launches, which violate U.N. Security Council resolutions and "do not help manage the current situation on the Korean Peninsula." Japan lodged a protest through its embassy in Beijing.
Tensions have also been fueled by land mine explosions near the heavily fortified inter-Korean border last month, which wounded three South Korean soldiers. Seoul's military and the U.S.-led United Nations Command concluded the devices were planted by North Korea, though Pyongyang denied responsibility and mocked Seoul's demand for an apology.
Kim has effectively ended all cooperation with South Korea, labeling it a permanent enemy, while nuclear negotiations with Washington remain deadlocked. He has ignored President Donald Trump's calls to restart diplomacy, insisting that the U.S. abandon its "hostile" policy and drop denuclearization as a precondition for talks.
This latest provocation underscores the fragility of security on the Korean Peninsula and the challenges facing regional leaders as they navigate a prolonged diplomatic freeze.
