North Korea fired projectile towards sea, South Korean military says
North Korea has fired a projectile toward its eastern waters, marking another escalation in its ongoing weapons testing program. This follows recent hypersonic missile tests and heightened tensions along the inter-Korean border.
Why it matters
Continued missile testing by North Korea increases geopolitical instability in East Asia and challenges regional security alliances.
South Korea's military on Monday (October 12, 2026) said North Korea fired at least one projectile toward its eastern waters, adding to a recent streak in weapons demonstrations.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff did not immediately say whether the weapon was ballistic or how far it flew. The office of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the country also detected the launch and described the weapon as a suspected ballistic missile.
The launch came days after South Korea on Friday (October 9) flight-tested its first domestically developed hypersonic weapon, designed to fly at least five times the speed of sound and evade missile defence systems, which President Lee Jae Myung described as an important step in strengthening the South's conventional defence capabilities.
Also covering this story
One other newsroom covered this event. We read that version too.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in