North Korea Fires Multiple Missiles From Pyongyang Area — SkimNews
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- North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles of various types from the Pyongyang area on October 12, 2026, with one flying more than 900 kilometers (559 miles) before splashing into the sea, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- Japan's Deputy Defense Minister Takashi Koyari said Japan detected at least two missiles launched 17 minutes apart, with the second flying more than 910 km on an "irregular" flight path he said suggested a possible hypersonic weapon.
- South Korea's military said the launches were likely intended to advance North Korean missile technology and served as a possible response to South Korea's own October 9 flight test of a domestically developed hypersonic weapon.
- President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea called the South's hypersonic weapon critical to strengthening conventional defenses and said it would enhance Seoul's ability to strike key targets in the "Korean Peninsula theater of operations."
- Kim Jong Un has rebuffed U.S. President Donald Trump's calls to revive 2019-era diplomacy, demanding Washington abandon its "hostile" policy and drop denuclearization as a precondition for any talks.
- South Korea's Presidential National Security Office demanded North Korea "immediately cease" the launches, which violate U.N. Security Council resolutions, while Japan formally protested through their embassies in Beijing.
Why it matters: The launches came three days after South Korea's hypersonic weapon test, which Seoul's military called a likely trigger. Japan flagged one missile's irregular path as a possible hypersonic — a class of weapon both allies are racing to deploy. Kim's continued rejection of Trump diplomacy overtures means the testing cycle has no near-term off-ramp.
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