North Korea Conducts First Ballistic Missile Test of 2026

KOREA: North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles off its east coast on Sunday, marking its first missile launch of the year, according to South Korea’s military. The launch came just hours before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was due to travel to China for a summit.

South Korea’s defence ministry said it detected several projectiles, believed to be ballistic missiles, launched from near Pyongyang at around 7:50am local time. The missiles reportedly traveled about 900 kilometres. Seoul said it is closely analysing the launches in coordination with the United States while maintaining full military readiness.

Following the launch, South Korea’s National Security Council held an emergency meeting, calling the action a provocation and a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Japan’s defence ministry also confirmed detecting ballistic missile activity, saying two missiles reached an altitude of about 50 kilometres and flew distances of 900 and 950 kilometres. Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi condemned the launch, calling North Korea’s missile and nuclear programme a serious threat to regional and global security.

The launch was Pyongyang’s first ballistic missile test since November, when it conducted a test following US approval of South Korea’s plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine.

Analysts suggested the timing of the missile launch may be linked to a recent US military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro. North Korea has long argued that its nuclear and missile programmes are necessary to deter what it claims are US-led regime change efforts.

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Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Pyongyang likely fears that the US could carry out a precision strike against it at any time. He added that the missile launch may be intended to signal that an attack on North Korea would not be as straightforward as recent US actions elsewhere.

A former senior North Korean diplomat, Lee Il-kyu, who defected to South Korea in 2023, said Pyongyang should draw lessons from the US operation against Maduro, warning against underestimating Washington’s capabilities.

The missile test also came ahead of President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Beijing, where he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. China remains North Korea’s key economic ally, and Seoul hopes Beijing can help ease tensions with Pyongyang.

North Korea has sharply increased missile testing in recent years, with analysts saying the country is working to improve precision strike capabilities and possibly prepare weapons for export. The launch also comes ahead of a major congress of North Korea’s ruling party, where defence, military planning, and economic policy are expected to be key topics.

State media reported that leader Kim Jong Un recently visited a weapons production facility and ordered a 250 percent expansion in missile production capacity as part of efforts to modernise and scale up the country’s arms manufacturing.