North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles off its east coast on October 12, 2026, with at least one projectile flying over 900 km on an irregular trajectory. The tests follow heightened inter-Korean tensions sparked by a DMZ landmine blast that injured three South Korean soldiers and Seoul's subsequent public test of a hypersonic missile overseen by President Lee Jae Myung. South Korea condemned the launches as UN resolution violations while Japan lodged formal protests.
North Korea launches missiles into Sea of Japan
- ▪Japanese officials reported that North Korea fired two ballistic missiles 17 minutes apart on October 12, 2026, with the first flying 220 km and the second flying over 900 km
- ▪Japan's Deputy Defence Minister Takashi Koyari stated that the second North Korean missile on October 12, 2026, followed an irregular flight path and suggested it may have been a hypersonic weapon
- ▪North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles of different types from near Pyongyang toward the Sea of Japan at around 9:20 a.m. local time on October 12, 2026
Official responses to North Korean launches
- ▪South Korea's National Security Office convened an emergency meeting on October 12, 2026, condemning North Korea's missile launches that day as violations of UN Security Council resolutions
- ▪South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that North Korea's October 12, 2026 launches were a show of force in response to South Korea's recent first hypersonic missile test overseen by President Lee Jae Myung
- ▪Japan lodged a stern protest with North Korea through embassy channels in Beijing following the October 12, 2026 missile launches
South Korea tests domestic hypersonic missile
- ▪The South Korean Blue House stated that its hypersonic glide vehicle provides a deterrence capability capable of striking key operational targets within the Korean Peninsula
- ▪South Korean President Lee Jae Myung oversaw the country's first test-firing of a domestically produced hypersonic missile in October 2026
North Korean missile testing
- ▪North Korea test-fired an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile on October 3, 2026, which Kim Yo-jong stated used artificial intelligence technology to change its flight orbit at low altitudes
- ▪Japanese Vice Minister of Defence Takashi Koyari stated that North Korea conducted at least 11 test-launches involving about 18 projectiles in 2026
DMZ landmine explosion and diplomatic fallout
- ▪Kim Yo-jong called South Korea's demand for an apology over the DMZ landmine explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers despicable and rejected an offer of medical equipment from Seoul
- ▪A joint South Korean-UN investigation concluded that two landmines planted by North Korean forces exploded in the Demilitarized Zone, injuring three South Korean soldiers
Inter-Korean diplomatic relations
- ▪Kim Yo-jong stated on October 8, 2026 that South Korea must demonstrate utmost respect, consideration, and sincerity if it wishes to restore bilateral relations
- ▪South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pledged to reopen dialogue with North Korea in his first speech after taking office in 2025
US-North Korea diplomacy
- ▪Daejeon University professor Song Seong-jong noted that Pyongyang's frequent missile launches are intended to build leverage ahead of a potential summit with US President Donald Trump
- ▪Diplomatic talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump abruptly ended in 2019
Debatable claims
- ▪Direct talks between Washington and Pyongyang risk sidelining South Korea's national security interests
- ▪North Korea's missile launches are primarily intended to build leverage for negotiations with the United States
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