North Korea Fires Multiple Ballistic Missiles Days After South Korea Hypersonic Test

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Monday morning, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The launches were detected at about 9:20 a.m. local time from the Pyongyang area. At least one of the missiles flew more than 900 kilometres before falling into the sea. Japan's defence ministry separately reported detecting at least two projectiles launched roughly 17 minutes apart. One flew about 220 kilometres and the second more than 910 kilometres, with an irregular trajectory that suggested it might have been a hypersonic weapon. Both landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, and no damage was reported.

The Joint Chiefs did not specify the exact number of missiles. A spokesperson described the launches as a show of force in response to South Korea's first public test of a domestically developed hypersonic glide vehicle last Thursday. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung oversaw that test. The launches also follow North Korea's own ballistic missile firing on 3 October from the Wonsan area, which state media described as training for troops operating a hypersonic strategic weapon system.

South Korea's presidential office convened an emergency security meeting and condemned the firings as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions. It called for an immediate halt. The military said it had stepped up surveillance and was sharing information with the United States and Japan while maintaining full readiness. Japan’s coastguard and defence officials confirmed the detections and noted that the second missile followed an irregular path.

This is the latest in a series of tests by Pyongyang this year. Japanese officials said North Korea has conducted at least 11 launches of some 18 projectiles since January, already exceeding last year's totals. The activity comes amid ongoing tensions after a landmine explosion last month in the Demilitarised Zone that wounded three South Korean soldiers. Seoul said the mines were planted by the North and demanded an apology. Pyongyang denied responsibility and warned of retaliation if South Korea took countermeasures.

Hypersonic weapons travel at least five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre, making them harder to intercept. Both Koreas have been advancing such systems. North Korea has tested intermediate-range strategic missiles under Kim Jong Un's supervision. South Korea's recent test was a rare public demonstration by a president. The pattern of sequential tests has raised the risk of miscalculation on the peninsula, where diplomacy remains stalled and nuclear-capable systems continue to expand.

The United Nations has maintained sanctions on North Korea since 2006 aimed at stopping its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Repeated launches have drawn condemnations but little new enforcement action. South Korean and Japanese officials emphasised that the missiles landed in open water and that readiness postures remain in place. Whether the firings represent a direct response to the South Korean hypersonic test or part of a broader training schedule under Pyongyang's defence plan is not fully clear from the available data. The timing, however, is close enough that Seoul's military treated it as a deliberate signal.

Further launches remain possible. South Korean and US forces have not announced additional public responses beyond the elevated alert. The sequence underscores the absence of any active negotiating track that could limit testing on either side.