SEOUL — North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast on Sunday, South Korea’s military and Japanese officials said, in the latest in a series of weapons tests this year.
The missiles were fired from the vicinity of Sinpo at about 6:10 a.m. local time, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. They traveled roughly 140 kilometers before landing in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, authorities said. The United States and Japan also confirmed the launches, which marked North Korea’s seventh such test in 2026 and the fourth in April.
South Korea’s military said it had strengthened surveillance and was coordinating closely with the United States and Japan following the launches. “Our military is closely monitoring North Korea’s various movements … and maintains the capability and posture to respond to any provocation,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said the missiles appeared to have landed outside its exclusive economic zone and that no damage had been reported.
North Korea’s state news agency KCNA reported on Monday that leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of multiple tactical ballistic missiles a day earlier. The launches were intended to evaluate the performance of new warheads, including cluster munition and fragmentation payloads, KCNA said.
According to KCNA, several missiles were launched toward a designated target area offshore, with the test aimed at verifying “the characteristics and power” of the warheads. The report did not provide independent verification, and details remain unclear.
The latest launches come amid a broader pattern of increased weapons testing by Pyongyang in recent months. Analysts and officials have said North Korea has been advancing its missile capabilities following the collapse of denuclearization talks with the United States in 2019.
South Korea’s government condemned the launches as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and urged North Korea to halt further tests.
The United States has also criticized the tests in previous instances, calling them destabilizing, while reiterating its commitment to the defense of regional allies.
As of Monday, there were no reports of casualties or damage linked to the launches, and monitoring by South Korea, the United States and Japan was ongoing, officials said.
