Overview
- South Korea and Japan detected multiple ballistic projectiles launched from an area near Pyongyang into the Sea of Japan.
- Japan reported at least two missiles that flew about 900–950 kilometers on irregular trajectories and fell outside its exclusive economic zone.
- Seoul and Tokyo heightened surveillance and readiness and said they are sharing data closely with the United States while condemning the launches.
- Japan’s defense minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, called the tests a threat to regional security and said they appear aimed at countering U.S.–South Korean forces, potentially including tactical nuclear options.
- North Korean state media said Kim Jong Un oversaw a hypersonic test reaching about 1,000 kilometers, a claim Japan and South Korea said they are still analyzing, as the launches coincided with U.S. actions in Venezuela and a planned South Korea–China meeting.