North Korea Fires Multiple Ballistic Missiles Amid Rising Tensions With Seoul

SEOUL: (News Desk) – North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles towards waters off its eastern coast on Monday, South Korea’s military said, amid escalating tensions between the two countries over a landmine explosion along their heavily fortified border.

The launch came after a blast in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) injured three South Korean soldiers in an area controlled by Seoul. Both countries have since tested upgraded missile technologies, adding to concerns over regional security.

North Korea later confirmed that it had test-fired a tactical ballistic missile as part of efforts to upgrade a key component of its weapons technology, state-run KCNA news agency reported on Tuesday. The report did not provide further technical details.

The number of missiles reported by different authorities varied. Japan’s Defence Ministry confirmed the launch of at least one suspected ballistic missile, while US Pacific Command said two missiles had been launched. It added that the launches posed no immediate threat to US personnel, territory or its allies.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said its military detected several ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang area towards the East Sea, also known internationally as the Sea of Japan, at around 9:20 a.m. local time.

The military said some of the missiles travelled more than 900 kilometres, adding that surveillance and readiness had been strengthened to monitor the possibility of further launches.

South Korea’s National Security Office also convened an emergency meeting to assess the situation and review the country’s military preparedness.

Border Dispute Fuels Tensions

The latest missile launches come amid a dispute over landmines that exploded in the DMZ more than a year ago. A joint investigation by South Korea and the United Nations concluded last week that North Korea had planted the mines, an allegation Pyongyang has strongly denied.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, criticised Seoul’s demands for an apology as “despicable”. She also rejected South Korea’s offer of medical equipment.

Rival Missile Tests

Tensions have also intensified following a series of weapons tests by both countries.

On October 3, North Korea tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile. Kim Yo Jong said the weapon incorporated unspecified artificial intelligence technology and could alter its flight trajectory at low altitude.

Several days later, South Korea announced the successful test of a domestically developed hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV). Such weapons are carried into the upper atmosphere by rocket boosters or ballistic missiles before gliding towards their targets.

South Korea’s presidential Blue House described the system as a new deterrent capability designed to strike key targets within the Korean Peninsula’s operational environment.

On Thursday, Kim Yo Jong said South Korea would need to demonstrate “utmost respect, consideration and sincerity” if it wanted to restore relations with Pyongyang.

The growing tensions coincide with renewed diplomatic overtures by US President Donald Trump towards North Korea. These developments have raised concerns in Seoul that South Korea, a longstanding US ally, could be sidelined in potential negotiations over Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.

North Korea also launched several short-range ballistic missiles in October, a day after Trump suggested he might meet Kim Jong Un later this year.

The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1950–1953 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty. The DMZ remains one of the world’s most heavily fortified borders, where military incidents and landmine explosions have repeatedly heightened tensions.