North Korea fired around 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Thursday, October 29, 2026, South Korea’s military said, in the latest show of force amid rising tensions along the heavily armed inter-Korean border.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched at around 12:30 p.m. local time (0330 GMT) from around Wonsan on North Korea’s eastern coast and flew about 250 kilometres (155 miles) before landing in the sea. South Korea’s military said it was strengthening surveillance and maintaining readiness for additional launches, while sharing information closely with the United States and Japan.
Japan’s Defence Ministry said it had detected what could have been a ballistic missile launch and that the projectile did not appear to have landed within Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, according to Yonhap News Agency. South Korea’s presidential National Security Office convened an emergency meeting to assess the security implications of the launches.
Seoul urged Pyongyang to halt its repeated ballistic missile launches, calling them a “serious violation” of United Nations Security Council resolutions, according to a presidential statement. The National Security Office said the launches were “serious acts that do nothing to help manage the current situation,” according to reports of its statement.
A third launch this month
The October 29 launches were North Korea’s third ballistic missile test this month, according to Reuters. North Korea last fired ballistic missiles on October 12, amid heightened tension on the inter-Korean border over a mine blast that wounded South Korean soldiers last month.
Some South Korean media reports suggested the weapons tested on Thursday may have included a 600mm super-large multiple rocket launcher system, known as the KN-25, which is classified as a short-range ballistic missile system. South Korea and the United States are conducting a detailed analysis of the exact specifications of the missiles, Seoul’s military said.
North Korea has conducted missile tests on more than 10 occasions this year, according to Reuters. The tests have included a new precision-guided torpedo system and an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, both of which North Korean state media said employed artificial intelligence technology, according to reporting by Agence France-Presse.
The timing of Thursday’s launches drew particular attention in Seoul. Tensions have been running high ahead of Pyongyang’s end-of-month deadline to activate propaganda loudspeakers along the border, a step that South Korea has warned would draw a stern response. Less than a week earlier, South Korea had proposed talks over the growing border dispute, according to AFP.
Why tensions are rising now
The Korean peninsula has seen a steady escalation in friction in recent weeks. The mine blast that wounded South Korean soldiers last month raised alarm in Seoul and led to a tougher posture from the South Korean military. North Korea, for its part, has announced plans to resume propaganda broadcasts across the border, reversing an earlier easing of loudspeaker operations.
The border area, one of the most heavily fortified in the world, has long been a flashpoint. The two Koreas remain technically at war, since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Periodic missile tests, military exercises, and propaganda operations have repeatedly raised the temperature, even when both sides have said they want to avoid a direct clash.
Diplomatic efforts have struggled to gain traction. Earlier in October, United States President Donald Trump suggested that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un might meet this year, according to AFP reporting. No meeting has been confirmed, and Thursday’s launches underline how far apart the two sides remain on the North’s weapons programmes.
The United Nations Security Council has passed multiple resolutions banning North Korea from testing ballistic missiles and developing nuclear weapons. Pyongyang has repeatedly defied those resolutions, arguing that its weapons programmes are necessary for self-defence. Seoul and Washington say the tests threaten regional stability and violate international law.
Regional reaction
South Korea’s response on Thursday followed a familiar pattern: swift detection and public announcement, an emergency security meeting, and coordination with allies. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said surveillance had been stepped up in case of further launches, a standard precaution after North Korean tests.
Japan’s government also monitored the launches closely. Japan’s Coast Guard initially warned that a projectile could be a ballistic missile and had already fallen into the sea. Japanese officials later confirmed that it did not appear to have landed within Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, limiting the immediate risk to Japanese territory but not the political concern in Tokyo.
The United States, which stations tens of thousands of troops in South Korea and Japan, shares missile-tracking data with both allies. No immediate statement from Washington on Thursday’s launches was reported in the first accounts of the tests, but American and South Korean analysts were said to be jointly examining the flight data.
China, North Korea’s main economic partner, has historically urged restraint from all sides after such tests, while also opposing the toughest sanctions against Pyongyang. Beijing’s reaction to the latest launches had not been detailed in early reporting.
What happens next
South Korean and American analysts will now work to identify exactly which systems were tested and what the results suggest about North Korea’s capabilities. That analysis usually takes days and can shape how Seoul and Washington calibrate their response.
Attention will also turn to the end of the month, when North Korea’s stated deadline for activating border loudspeakers falls due. If Pyongyang follows through, South Korea has said it will respond firmly, raising the risk of a further cycle of military signalling. Diplomats in the region will be watching for any opening for talks, but for now the pattern is familiar: a test, a condemnation, and a wait for the next move.
Sources: Reuters; Agence France-Presse; Yonhap News Agency.
