North Korea has launched multiple ballistic missiles towards the sea off its eastern coast, conducting its fourth missile test within a month as the military competition between Pyongyang and Seoul intensifies.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched from an area near Pyongyang at approximately 9.20 am local time on Monday. The projectiles appeared to include more than one type of ballistic missile, although military officials did not immediately disclose the total number detected.
At least one missile travelled more than 900 kilometres before falling into the sea. South Korean and American military authorities are analysing flight data to determine the missiles’ altitude, speed, trajectory and possible warhead configurations.
Japan detected at least two projectiles and said both landed outside its exclusive economic zone. No damage to ships or aircraft was reported. Japanese authorities nevertheless continued monitoring the area and sharing information with South Korea and the United States.
South Korea convened an emergency security meeting and condemned the launches as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibiting North Korea from developing or testing ballistic missile technology.
The timing has drawn particular attention because the launches came days after South Korea conducted its first publicly acknowledged test of a domestically developed hypersonic missile. President Lee Jae Myung personally observed the test, an unusual public demonstration intended to show Seoul’s expanding ability to strike hardened or time-sensitive targets.
South Korea’s military assessed that the North Korean launches may have been a deliberate response to that test as well as another attempt to refine Pyongyang’s missile technology. Seoul has been strengthening its conventional strike capabilities while continuing to seek a diplomatic route to limiting the North’s nuclear arsenal.
Lee has previously proposed sanctions relief in exchange for a freeze on North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes. His phased plan would initially stop further weapons development before pursuing reductions and eventual dismantlement. Pyongyang has shown no willingness to accept such conditions.
North Korea last launched a ballistic missile on October 3, describing it as an intermediate-range strategic weapon. Pyongyang claimed that the missile could change direction at low altitude and follow an irregular trajectory intended to complicate interception. The latest launches are still being analysed, and South Korea has not confirmed whether they included another hypersonic system.
Pyongyang has conducted missile tests on more than 10 occasions during 2026. The increasing frequency allows its military to evaluate new engines, guidance systems, manoeuvrable warheads and launch procedures while giving crews experience operating under realistic conditions.
Tensions have also risen along the heavily fortified inter-Korean border. Three South Korean soldiers were wounded by landmines last month. Seoul and the US-led United Nations Command concluded that the devices had been placed by North Korea, while Pyongyang denied responsibility and rejected demands for an apology.
The missile tests take place against a wider transformation in North Korea’s strategic position. Its relationship with Russia has expanded from diplomatic cooperation into weapons transfers and direct military support. Kyiv recently claimed that North Korea was preparing another major deployment of troops to Russia.
North Korea has also supplied artillery ammunition and short-range ballistic missiles to Moscow. One such weapon was reportedly used during the latest Russian attack on Dnipro, demonstrating how Pyongyang’s missile programme now affects security beyond the Korean Peninsula.
The launches may also be intended to increase Kim Jong Un’s leverage before any renewed engagement with US President Donald Trump. Their previous diplomacy collapsed in 2019 over sanctions relief and the extent of North Korean denuclearisation.
For now, Monday’s tests reinforce the same pattern: Pyongyang continues expanding its missile capabilities while Seoul improves its own long-range arsenal. Without renewed negotiations or effective crisis-management channels, each weapons demonstration risks prompting another and deepening the military competition across Northeast Asia.
