Japan and South Korea reported this Monday the launch of several ballistic missiles by North Korea, in what is considered a new arms test that, for now, has not been acknowledged by Pyongyang and of which no damages have been reported either.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense has stated on social media, in two notices issued just 15 minutes apart, that "an object that could be a ballistic missile has been launched from North Korea." Following these notices, the Office of the Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has requested "to inform the population in a timely and appropriate manner; to ensure the safety of aircraft, vessels, and other assets, (and) to adopt all possible precautionary measures, including preparation for contingencies."
Subsequently, the Defense Ministry indicated that it has "calculated that the object has already fallen," without providing details on possible material or personal damages.
In parallel, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, through its director of public affairs, Jang Do Young, has confirmed the launch of "ballistic missiles" fired "consecutively" between 9:20 and 9:40 a.m. (local time).
During a press conference cited by the South Korean agency Yonhap, Jang specified that North Korea has carried out the launch of "several different types of ballistic missiles," including one that "traveled more than 900 kilometers."
As he explained, "we interpret it as a demonstration of strength in response to our successful hypersonic missile test, an exhibition of achievements according to the roadmap of the five-year plan for national defense capability development, and an intentional display of its missile capabilities," referring to what is already the sixteenth launch carried out by Pyongyang so far in 2026.