North Korea fired ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, launching about a dozen short-range missiles from the Wonsan area, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The volley came about a week after Seoul proposed military talks to ease tensions along the inter-Korean border.
North Korea ballistic missiles: what Seoul’s military says
The JCS said the missiles were launched around 12:30 p.m. local time and flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles) toward the body of water Koreans call the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, Yonhap reported. South Korean and U.S. analysts were still working out the exact specifications, and the three allies were sharing data, the JCS said.
A South Korean military official told The Korea Herald that the missiles came from several types of launchers, including 600 mm multiple rocket launchers. Seoul and Washington classify projectiles from that system as short-range ballistic missiles. The official played down comparisons to so-called “mixed salvo” tactics, in which different weapons are fired together to complicate missile defense.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said earlier that Pyongyang had fired “what may be a ballistic missile,” and Japan’s Coast Guard told ships to steer clear of any falling objects, according to Anadolu Agency.
The 17th ballistic missile launch of 2026
The Korea Herald counted Thursday’s event as North Korea’s 17th ballistic missile launch of the year and the first in 17 days. On Oct. 12, Pyongyang fired several ballistic missiles that it described as tactical weapons tests aimed at improving a key component. North Korean state media also showed leader Kim Jong Un watching an intermediate-range launch on Oct. 3 Unverified claim, KCNA (North Korean state media).
“Our military is closely monitoring various North Korean activities as we maintain the capability and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocation,” the JCS said in a statement.
Border tensions after the Sept. 21 land mine blast
Relations along the Military Demarcation Line have been tense since a Sept. 21 land mine explosion injured three South Korean soldiers, Yonhap reported. About a week ago Seoul offered military talks to settle disputes over where the border line runs. North Korea did not publicly accept, and Yonhap described Thursday’s launch as an apparent rebuff.
The South’s military also said a North Korean self-propelled howitzer recently spotted near the western front appeared to be an older artillery piece, and a JCS official called the move mainly “for show.” The Associated Press reported the launch came days after the North threatened to resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts and to deploy new weapons along the border, and after Kim made a surprise weekend visit to China.
Sanctions pressure and regional security talks
On Wednesday, South Korea, the United States and other partners — 11 countries plus the European Union — issued a joint statement reaffirming the goal of North Korea’s denuclearization. The statement welcomed recent sanctions on North Korea’s overseas workers, cyber operations and military cooperation with Russia, and urged all U.N. members to enforce Security Council resolutions, The Korea Herald reported.
The launch also coincided with a week of Asia-Pacific defense diplomacy. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been in the Philippines for regional defense talks in Cebu, where Washington and Tokyo agreed to build a missile assembly plant in Japan. For wider context on the week’s conflicts, see our Oct. 27 geopolitics briefing.
North Korean state media had not commented on Thursday’s launch by Thursday evening Korea time.
Sources
- Yonhap: N. Korea fires nearly dozen ballistic missiles after S. Korea’s dialogue offer
- The Korea Herald: N. Korea launches SRBMs toward East Sea
- AP: North Korea fires missile barrage as tensions rise
Additional sources
- Yonhap: N. Korea fires around dozen short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea (JCS)
- Anadolu Agency: Morning Briefing, Oct. 29, 2026
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