North Korea fires projectile toward eastern waters — SkimNews
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- South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported on Monday October 12, 2026 that North Korea fired at least one projectile toward its eastern waters, though it did not immediately confirm whether the weapon was ballistic or disclose its range.
- Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's office also detected the launch and characterized the weapon as a suspected ballistic missile — a designation other outlets covering the same event adopted.
- South Korea on Friday October 9 flight-tested its first domestically developed hypersonic weapon designed to fly at least five times the speed of sound and evade missile defence systems, with President Lee Jae Myung calling it an important step in strengthening the South's conventional defence.
- North Korea had conducted an Oct. 3 test of what it described as a hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to evade missile defences in South Korea and Japan.
- Kim Jong Un continues flaunting his nuclear weapons program and commissioning a new warship while rejecting US and South Korean offers to resume long-stalled diplomacy.
- Three South Korean soldiers were injured last month in land mine explosions near the inter-Korean border; South Korea and the US-led UN Command concluded North Korea was responsible, while Pyongyang denied it and ridiculed Seoul's apology demands.
Why it matters: Both Koreas are now demonstrating hypersonic weapons within days of each other — South Korea's Oct. 9 test and Pyongyang's Oct. 3 test — signalling an accelerating arms race rather than a return to talks. Japan's Prime Minister's office independently detecting and labeling the Oct. 12 launch as a suspected ballistic missile highlights Tokyo's frontline monitoring role and adds diplomatic weight to South Korea's initial, more cautious 'at least one projectile' phrasing.
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