North Korea Launches Multiple Ballistic Missiles in Apparent Response to South Korean Hypersonic Test

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea off its eastern coast on Monday, according to South Korea’s military, in what appears to be a demonstration of force following Seoul’s recent hypersonic missile test.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that at least one missile traveled more than 900 kilometers (559 miles) after being launched from the Pyongyang area. The military did not disclose the exact number of projectiles detected.

Japan’s coastguard confirmed that two unidentified projectiles, believed to be ballistic missiles, had been fired and appeared to have already landed. South Korea’s presidential office condemned the launches as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions and called for an immediate halt.

Escalating Tensions

JCS spokesperson Jang Do-young stated that Monday’s launch appears intended as a show of force in response to South Korea’s hypersonic missile test-fire last Thursday. During that test, President Lee Jae-myung oversaw the country’s first public demonstration of a hypersonic weapon—a rare appearance by a South Korean leader at a missile trial.

Lee’s office said the weapon, once fully developed, would strengthen South Korea’s ability to strike key targets by surprise across the Korean Peninsula theater of operations.

On October 3, North Korea tested a hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to evade missile defenses in South Korea and Japan.

Tensions have risen further following a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone last week that wounded three South Korean soldiers. A joint South Korean–UN investigation concluded that North Korean forces planted two mines roughly a year ago. Pyongyang dismissed the finding and accused Seoul of provocation.

Prior to the mine incident, Seoul had been pursuing preliminary coordination efforts to facilitate dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington. President Lee pledged to reopen engagement with North Korea in his inaugural address after taking office in 2025.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to advance his nuclear weapons program while rejecting U.S. and South Korean offers to resume stalled diplomacy. Talks between Kim and former U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. Pyongyang insists that Washington abandon its “hostile policy” and drop denuclearization as a precondition for negotiations.

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