North Korea Fires Multiple Ballistic Missiles Off Its East Coast
The weapons test followed a South Korean hypersonic missile flight and heightened tensions along the fortified border between the two countries.
North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Monday morning. The projectiles lifted off around 9:20 a.m. local time from an area near the capital city of Pyongyang.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said at least one missile flew more than 900 kilometers, or 559 miles. South Korean military officials did not immediately specify the total number of missiles launched. Japan’s Ministry of Defense recorded at least two suspected ballistic missiles and said both fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
The Japanese Prime Minister’s Office reported that officials identified no damage to ships or aircraft. The event marked Pyongyang’s fourth missile test in October and its tenth missile test of the year.
South Korea’s National Security Office convened an emergency meeting following the launches. The office condemned the tests as explicit violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions and called for an immediate halt. United Nations resolutions have barred North Korea from conducting ballistic missile tests since 2006.
Jang Do-young, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the launch appeared to be a show of force. He said it protested a recent South Korean hypersonic flight test and displayed progress under North Korea’s five-year defense plan.
Jang declined to confirm whether the weapons were hypersonic or intermediate-range systems. He explained that allied military authorities required further technical analysis. North Korean state media did not immediately issue a statement regarding the morning launch.
Days earlier, South Korea test-fired its first domestically developed hypersonic glide vehicle, which was built to exceed Mach 5. Reports from The Japan Times and The Korea Times dated Seoul’s test to Thursday. An Associated Press report dated it to Friday.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung observed that test. He described the system as an essential development to enhance conventional defense and deterrence.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un previously oversaw an intermediate-range missile test on Oct. 3. Pyongyang claimed that system used artificial intelligence and hypersonic capabilities to bypass regional defense networks.
Tensions had also risen after a Sept. 21 landmine blast in the Demilitarized Zone injured three South Korean soldiers. An investigation by South Korea and the United Nations Command concluded North Korea intentionally laid the antipersonnel mines. North Korea rejected the finding as a fabrication.
South Korea’s military said it has heightened surveillance alongside United States forces to watch for more launches. Analysts from both countries continue to examine telemetry data to determine the flight paths, speeds, and missile types.
