North Korea launches ballistic missile over 700 kilometers as hostilities heat up

North Korea launched a ballistic missile over 700 kilometers on Saturday, October 3, 2026, the latest in over 10 tests this year. The missile, fired from the Wonsan area at around 6:30 a.m., was detected by South Korea and Japan. Seoul and Washington are analyzing the test. The launch came a day after Kim Yo Jong dismissed Seoul's demand for an apology over North Korean mines that wounded South Korean soldiers in the DMZ. South Korea's military raised monitoring and convened an emergency meeting.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea off its east coast on Saturday, October 3, 2026, according to South Korea and Japan. The missile was launched from the Wonsan area at around 6:30 a.m. and flew more than 700 kilometers (434 miles), the South Korean military said. Seoul and Washington are analyzing the test for details. Japan's coast guard, citing the defense ministry, said the object may have been a ballistic missile and appeared to have come down, warning ships to take precautions. South Korea's military raised its monitoring of further missile tests and will share intelligence with the US and Japan. The South Korean presidential office's national security council convened an emergency meeting on Saturday to assess the situation. The launch came after Pyongyang's Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, issued a statement on Friday dismissing Seoul's demand for an apology for what it said were North Korean mines that seriously wounded South Korean soldiers in the Demilitarised Zone. South Korea said this week that North Korean mines caused the blast that seriously injured two South Korean soldiers on a reconnaissance mission inside the border. The missile test may be an attempt by Pyongyang to draw a response from South Korea to the sister's statement, said Cheong Seong-chang, vice president at the Sejong Institute. North Korea has sharply ramped up hostility against the South in recent years, disavowing unification as a national goal and calling South Korea its "primary foe."