Overview
- South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected several ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang area and said one missile flew more than 900 kilometers.
- Japan’s defense and coast guard reported at least two projectiles splashed down in the Sea of Japan outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
- Seoul has stepped up surveillance, held emergency security talks and is closely sharing launch data with the United States and Japan to prepare for more strikes.
- South Korea and North Korea traded accusations after a September DMZ mine blast; Seoul calls the repeated launches violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions and says Monday’s display followed its own recent hypersonic glide-vehicle test.
- The launches deepen a pattern of rapid weapons development this year and raise practical challenges for missile defense because hypersonic and maneuverable systems can fly low and change course, making tracking and interception harder.