North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles towards the sea

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkNorth Korean service personnel salute the statues of late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to pay their respects on the 81st founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang on October 10, 2026 [Kim Won Jin/AFP]By AP and ReutersPublished On 12 Oct 202612 Oct 2026North Korea has fired multiple ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military says.South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said one of the missiles flew more than 900km (559 miles) from the Pyongyang area on Monday. The joint chiefs did not specify how many missiles were detected.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3South Korea considers steps to force North Korea apology for DMZ mine blastlist 2 of 3South Korea pledges legal action over alleged fuel exports to Russialist 3 of 3South Korea to recall Ukraine envoy in diplomatic row over POWsend of listJapan’s coastguard said on Monday that North Korea had fired two unidentified projectiles, believed to be ballistic missiles, which appeared to have already fallen.South Korea’s presidential office said that Pyongyang’s repeated missile launches violate United Nations Security Council resolutions, urging an immediate stop.Monday’s missile launch adds to heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, as both countries have been conducting weapons tests.Escalating tensionsJCS spokesperson Jang Do-young said 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 said 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”.On October 3, North Korea also 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. A joint South Korean-UN investigation concluded that two landmines were planted by North Korean forces about a year ago. Pyongyang dismissed the claim and accused South Korea of provocation.Prior to the border mine blast, Seoul said it was conducting “preliminary coordination efforts” to facilitate dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington.Lee pledged to reopen dialogue with North Korea in his first speech after taking office in 2025.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to flaunt his nuclear weapons programme, while rejecting US and South Korean offers to resume stalled diplomacy.Talks between Kim and US President Donald Trump abruptly ended in 2019. Kim Jong Un’s government continues to demand that Washington abandon its “hostile” policy towards Pyongyang and drop demands for North Korea’s denuclearisation as a condition for talks.