North Korea Fires Projectile After Kim Yo Jong Rejects Apology — SkimNews
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- North Korea fired an unidentified projectile toward the sea on Saturday morning (October 3, 2026), with Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff not yet confirming whether it was a ballistic missile or another type of weapon.
- Kim Yo Jong rejected Seoul's demand for an apology over the DMZ land mine blasts, calling the demands "utterly pathetic" and declaring the North intended to cut ties with the South.
- The 4-kilometer-wide (2.5-mile) Demilitarised Zone is the flashpoint: the US-led UN Command blamed North Korean mines for September's blasts that injured three South Korean soldiers, and Seoul has demanded Pyongyang end border fortification including mines and anti-tank barriers.
- The projectile follows weeks of North Korean military displays, including purported hypersonic missile system tests, live-fire exercises, and the commissioning of a new warship.
- Kim Jong Un has continued expanding his nuclear program despite US calls to revive diplomacy.
Why it matters: Kim Yo Jong's vow to cut ties with Seoul — paired with an unspecified projectile launch days later — closes the door on the apology South Korea demanded for injuries to three of its soldiers from DMZ mines. With weeks of preceding hypersonic tests, live-fire drills, and a new warship already in the pipeline, the fortified border standoff is now adding fresh launches to an already tense calendar of North Korean military activity.
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