North Korea Fires 10 Ballistic Missiles Toward East Coast Sea

North Korea launched approximately 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan from its eastern coast on Thursday, October 29, 2026, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The launches originated near Wonsan at about 12:30 p.m. local time, amid escalating tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul over a disputed landmine explosion near their heavily fortified border.

South Korea's military said it was strengthening surveillance and maintaining readiness against potential additional launches. The JCS also confirmed that it was sharing information closely with the United States and Japan.

Japan's Defense Ministry separately reported detecting an object believed to be a ballistic missile. According to Japanese authorities cited by Kyodo News and Yonhap News Agency, the projectile fell into the sea outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The launch follows heightened friction over a September 21 landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that injured three South Korean soldiers. A joint South Korean-United Nations investigation earlier in October concluded that North Korea had planted the mines more than a year before the incident.

Seoul called on Pyongyang to apologize for the incident, while North Korea rejected the investigation's findings. The dispute has unfolded alongside increased military activity near the inter-Korean border and renewed South Korean efforts to restore communication with its northern neighbor.

In a letter to the United Nations Security Council this week, North Korea's permanent representative to the UN, Kim Song, accused South Korea of manufacturing allegations against Pyongyang.

Kim Song described the incident as a “provocation the ROK [Republic of Korea] committed by groundlessly shifting the blame for the dubious ‘mine explosion incident’”. He also warned that violations of North Korea's sovereignty could prompt self-defense measures.

In the same communication, Kim Song characterized Seoul's allegations as a “farce to evade the responsibility for the ever-escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula”. The letter represented Pyongyang's formal response to the investigation and South Korea's demand for an apology.

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, also criticized Seoul's response to the landmine incident. She called South Korea's demands for an apology “despicable” and separately rejected an offer of medical equipment from the South Korean government.

South Korea has proposed military talks to ease tensions and restore communication channels. Seoul said last Friday that it had invited Pyongyang to discuss reopening those channels, although North Korea had not indicated whether it would accept the offer.

North Korea has largely suspended dialogue and cooperation with South Korea in recent years under Kim Jong Un's hard-line approach. The country has also conducted missile tests on more than 10 occasions this year, according to the source reports.

The latest launch comes as U.S. President Donald Trump's recent overtures toward Pyongyang have raised concerns that South Korea could be sidelined in potential negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program.