Pyongyang provokes with ballistic missiles in the Sea of Japan, days after Seoul’s hypersonic test

South Korea’s military has confirmed that North Korea fired several ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, on Sunday morning. The provocation comes just days after Seoul tested a new hypersonic weapon.

An announcement from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches were carried out from the outskirts of the northern capital, Pyongyang, around 09:20 local time.

For its part, Japan’s Ministry of Defense reported that at least two of the ballistic missiles landed in the waters of the sea, without entering Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

These launches come at a time when military activity in the Korean Peninsula region is on the rise. South Korea’s Ministry of Defense had tested its first domestically produced hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) just days earlier.

Such vehicles separate from the missile that carries them into the upper layers of the atmosphere and strike their target at speeds more than five times that of sound — a capability that complicates the work of conventional air defense systems.

On October 3, North Korea itself had also announced that it tested a medium-range hypersonic missile, which, according to Pyongyang’s statements, was equipped with artificial intelligence technology.

Seoul and Tokyo are closely monitoring these developments, continuously observing Pyongyang’s ballistic programs, which raise concerns for the security of the region.