South Korean Military Reports North Korea Launches Projectile Into Eastern Waters

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean military reported that North Korea launched at least one projectile toward its eastern waters, continuing a recent series of weapons demonstrations.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Monday they had not yet determined whether the projectile was ballistic or its range. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s office confirmed the launch, labeling the device a suspected ballistic missile.

The launch occurred just days after South Korea flight‑tested its first domestically produced hypersonic weapon on Friday—a system designed to travel at least Mach 5 and penetrate missile defenses, which President Lee Jae‑myung hailed as a key advance for the country’s conventional deterrence.

While maintaining a hard line against Seoul, North Korea has intensified its weapons testing to broaden its nuclear‑capable arsenal, including an Oct. 3 launch it labelled a hypersonic intermediate‑range missile intended to bypass defenses in South Korea and Japan.

In addition, North Korea has carried out further missile tests and live‑fire exercises and commissioned a new warship, as Kim Jong Un continues to showcase its nuclear arsenal while spurning U.S. and South Korean overtures to restart stalled diplomacy.

Tensions escalated further when three South Korean soldiers were wounded by land‑mine blasts last month near the heavily fortified inter‑Korean border. South Korean forces and the U.S.-led United Nations Command attributed the explosions to devices planted by North Korea, which denied responsibility and mocked Seoul’s calls for an apology.

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