North Korea fires several ballistic missiles toward Sea of Japan and claims test success

The launches on Monday

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff detected several ballistic missiles fired on Monday, 12 October, from the area around Pyongyang toward the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, at about 9:20 local time. The Joint Chiefs said the missiles could have been of different types and that at least one flew more than 900 kilometres, so they did not rule out a medium-range missile fired over a shorter distance. Japan's coast guard had earlier reported two unidentified objects, probably ballistic missiles, which fell into the sea. Japan's defence ministry also reported the firing. The United States Indo-Pacific Command said it was aware of two ballistic missile launches and that the event did not pose a direct threat to its personnel, territory or allies.

Pyongyang's claim of success

KCNA reported on Tuesday, 13 October, that North Korea's Missile Administration had carried out a test of a tactical ballistic missile on 12 October to confirm results of the technical upgrading of key elements. The agency called the upgrade a success in the following words.

The technical upgrading of the core element is a big success heralding an important change in improving the performance and sophistication of all offensive weapon systems.

KCNA gave no details of the test, such as the distance covered or the number of missiles fired. The test it described is believed to be the same firing that Japanese and South Korean authorities confirmed, although the agency did not say so itself. The announcement ran only in state media aimed at foreign audiences and did not appear in Rodong Sinmun, the daily aimed at North Korean citizens.

Seoul's hypersonic test and Kim's museum

The launches came about four days after Seoul made public the first successful test of its domestically built hypersonic glide vehicle, which South Korean military officials and local analysts interpreted as a show of force on the peninsula. South Korean military officials assessed that Monday's firing could have been a demonstration of strength in response to Seoul's new weapons systems. Pyongyang's previous test was on 3 October, when KCNA said a hypersonic missile was tested under the supervision of Kim Jong Un. On Sunday, 11 October, Kim attended the opening of the Museum of the Revolution of National Defence, accompanied by his wife and daughter. The museum displays the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile, hypersonic warheads and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

International reaction

South Korea convened an emergency meeting of its National Security Council and condemned North Korea's actions as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Seoul called on Pyongyang to stop the tests immediately. Foreign policy and security officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan held phone consultations after the launches to assess the situation and exchange information. North Korea has been under United Nations sanctions since 2006, which aim to curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. One report counted the Monday launch as the fourth ballistic missile test by Pyongyang within a month.

What remains unclear

Neither North Korea nor the South Korean military has confirmed the exact number of missiles, their types or the full distance flown. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said at least one missile flew more than 900 km, a figure that North Korea's announcement did not match with any stated range. The gap between Pyongyang's description of a success and Seoul's partial account of the launches leaves the test's purpose and capabilities unresolved for now.