North Korea test-fires 1,000 km missile, taunts tracking — SkimNews
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- North Korea fired an intermediate-range missile on Saturday (Oct 3, 2026) from eastern North Korea, overseen by Kim Jong Un, that hit a target 1,000 km (621 miles) in the sea off the east coast, per KCNA.
- KCNA said the drill was intended to train troops operating a hypersonic strategic weapon system and assess the reliability, efficiency and mobility of the country's war deterrent.
- Kim Yo Jong disclosed the launch details Saturday, claiming a special "wave-like trajectory mode" had exposed limitations in South Korea and Japan's tracking capabilities.
- South Korea's military detected the ballistic missile launch and assessed it flew more than 700 km — a 300 km gap from KCNA's 1,000 km figure.
- Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang must continue efforts to make enemies recognize the "reliability and fatality" of its strategic offensive weapons and reaffirmed that developing a nuclear war deterrent remained essential to national security.
- The test came after Kim Yo Jong on Friday (Oct 2) rejected Seoul's demand for an apology over a landmine blast in the Demilitarized Zone that seriously wounded South Korean soldiers, calling the accusation "groundless."
- North Korea has carried out more than 10 missile tests this year, per the report.
Why it matters: The launch, coupled with Kim Yo Jong's rejection of Seoul's apology demand over the DMZ landmine blast, deepens a tit-for-tat in which the two Koreas are trading blame rather than talks. South Korea's military assessed the missile flew 700+ km — 300 km short of KCNA's claimed 1,000 km — underscoring competing public narratives about the test's capability and reach.
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