SEOUL: North Korea fired “around a dozen” short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Thursday, Seoul’s defence ministry said, less than a week after South Korea proposed talks over a growing border row.
The launches follow a slew of recent weapons tests by Pyongyang, including a new precision-guided torpedo system and an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, both of which were said to employ AI technology.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said its military detected “around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles fired from the Wonsan area of North Korea towards the East Sea”, the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
The missiles flew about 250 kilometres, and “South Korea and the United States are conducting a detailed analysis of their exact specifications”, Seoul’s military said, adding it had stepped up surveillance of possible additional launches. The Japan Coast Guard had earlier urged ships in the area to be vigilant.
Seoul’s National Security Office, meanwhile, said the launches violated UN Security Council resolutions, labelling them “serious acts that do nothing to help manage the current situation”.
Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2026
