North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles toward East Sea after South Korean hypersonic test

North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from the Pyongyang area at about 9:20 a.m. local time on Monday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. At least one of the missiles flew more than 900 kilometres before falling into the sea. Japan’s coast guard and defence ministry detected at least two projectiles that landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. No damage was reported in Japan.

The launch was North Korea’s fourth ballistic missile test in a month and its 16th of the year. It followed South Korea’s first public test of a domestically developed hypersonic glide vehicle on Thursday, which President Lee Jae Myung observed. On 3 October North Korea tested what state media called an intermediate-range strategic missile as training for troops operating its hypersonic system.

JCS spokesperson Col. Jang Do-young said the Monday launches appeared to be both a response to the South Korean hypersonic test and a demonstration of progress under North Korea’s five-year defence plan. South Korea’s presidential office convened an emergency national security meeting and condemned the launches as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions. It urged an immediate halt.

The missiles appeared to be of different types. Japanese officials noted that the second missile followed an irregular flight path consistent with a hypersonic weapon. South Korean and US intelligence agencies are still analysing exact specifications. The Joint Chiefs raised surveillance and readiness and shared data with the United States and Japan.

Tensions on the peninsula have risen since a land-mine blast on 21 September in the Demilitarised Zone wounded three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously. 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.

North Korea has conducted more than ten missile tests this year while under UN sanctions imposed since 2006 to curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. The launches continue a pattern of testing that has accelerated since 2022. South Korea’s own hypersonic test and the public role of its president mark a shift in Seoul’s approach to publicising advanced systems.

The immediate military consequence is heightened readiness on both sides of the border and closer trilateral coordination among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo. Whether Monday’s launches included a hypersonic vehicle will determine how much they narrow the gap North Korea claims to be closing with South Korean and US systems. South Korean officials have not yet released further flight data.