North Korea Fires Multiple Ballistic Missiles After South's Hypersonic Test

North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Monday morning, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The launches occurred around 9:20 a.m. local time from an area near Pyongyang. At least one missile flew more than 900 kilometres before falling into the sea. Japanese officials reported detecting two missiles launched 17 minutes apart. The first travelled about 220 kilometres and the second more than 910 kilometres along an irregular path. Neither produced reports of damage to aircraft or vessels.

South Korean military spokesperson Jang Do-young described the launches as a protest against Seoul's recent successful test of a hypersonic glide vehicle and a demonstration of North Korean missile capabilities under its five-year defence plan. The South Korean National Security Office convened an emergency meeting and condemned the launches as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Officials urged an immediate halt.

The test came four days after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung oversaw the first public firing of a domestically developed hypersonic missile. Hypersonic glide vehicles travel at least five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre on unpredictable paths at relatively low altitudes, complicating interception. North Korea itself launched a ballistic missile on 3 October that state media later described as an intermediate-range strategic missile fired under the supervision of leader Kim Jong Un as part of training for hypersonic systems.

Monday's launches mark North Korea's fourth ballistic missile test in a month and add to more than ten tests conducted this year. Japanese Deputy Defense Minister Takashi Koyari noted that the number of launches and projectiles already exceeds last year's totals by substantial margins. South Korea has maintained heightened surveillance and shared information with the United States and Japan.

Tensions on the peninsula have risen in recent weeks. A border mine blast last month wounded three South Korean soldiers. Seoul attributed the mines to North Korea and demanded an apology. Pyongyang denied responsibility and accused the South of fabrication, warning of retaliation if Seoul took further action. Both sides have conducted weapons tests amid the diplomatic freeze.

The missiles fired on Monday appeared to be of different types. South Korean analysis suggested one type reached beyond 900 kilometres. Japanese coast guard reports initially described unidentified projectiles that had already fallen. No North Korean state media statement on the Monday launches had appeared by early afternoon Seoul time.

South Korea's hypersonic test and North Korea's successive launches illustrate the accelerating competition in manoeuvrable, high-speed weapons. Such systems reduce warning times and challenge existing missile defence architectures. The launches from the Pyongyang area, which has served as a major site in recent years, place the tests within range of monitoring by both South Korea and Japan.

The emergency national security meeting in Seoul and the Japanese detection reports confirm that both countries treated the event as a significant weapons demonstration rather than a routine exercise. Whether the irregular flight path of the longer-range missile indicates a hypersonic or manoeuvrable payload remains a matter of initial analysis. Further technical details will depend on additional tracking data released by the militaries involved.

The pattern of reciprocal tests continues without public diplomatic contact. North Korea has conducted ballistic missile launches on more than ten occasions this year. South Korea's public hypersonic demonstration under presidential supervision marks a shift toward greater transparency about its own advanced systems. The Monday launches keep the sequence of action and response intact.