Seoul accuses Pyongyang of causing a land mine explosion that injured three of its soldiers, an accusation Pyongyang denies.
Published on October 29, 2026
North Korea fired a dozen short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast into the Sea of Japan, according to South Korea’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), less than a week after Seoul proposed negotiations over a growing border dispute.
The missiles were launched around 12:30 p.m. (0330 GMT) Thursday from an area around Wonsan on North Korea’s east coast, the JCS said in a statement.
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Japan’s Defense Ministry separately confirmed the launch of what it said could be a ballistic missile that fell outside the country’s exclusive economic zone, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.
The launch comes amid growing tensions following a landmine explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a heavily fortified border between the two Koreas, on September 21.
A joint South Korea-UN investigation earlier this month concluded that North Korea laid the landmines more than a year ago, with Seoul calling for an apology.
Pyongyang rejected that conclusion, sending a letter to the UN Security Council (UNSC) this week accusing Seoul of manufacturing the explosion.
North Korea’s permanent representative to the UN, Kim Song, wrote of the “provocation committed by the Republic of Korea in baselessly blaming the questionable mine explosion incident,” warning that violations of the country’s sovereignty could trigger a situation of self-defense.
Song told the U.N. Security Council that South Korea’s claims were a “farce aimed at avoiding responsibility for ever-rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, called South Korean demands for an apology “despicable” while separately rejecting an offer of medical equipment from Seoul.
South Korea has proposed military talks with its neighbor to try to calm the situation.
Seoul said last Friday it had invited Pyongyang to discuss restoring communication channels. The offer was made as military activity on the border intensifies.
It remains unclear whether North Korea would accept negotiations. Leader Kim has taken a tough approach toward Seoul and suspended virtually all dialogue and cooperation with the South in recent years.
The growing tensions come as U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent overtures toward Pyongyang have raised fears that U.S. ally Seoul could be sidelined from possible nuclear negotiations involving the North.
Pyongyang launched several short-range ballistic missiles a day after Trump suggested he might meet with Kim this year.
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