North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday, South Korea’s military claimed. It is believed to be the second consecutive day in which North Korea launched a missile after an unidentified “projectile” was detected on Tuesday. The weapons testing comes amid rising tensions between the two countries after drones operated by civilians in South Korea mistakenly flew into the airspace of the communist country.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that several missiles were launched near Wonsan, North Korea, on Wednesday. One missile reportedly traveled 150 miles and another nearly three times as far, going 435 miles off the country’s east coast, according to the Associated Press. The first missile was fired at approximately 8:50 a.m. local time, and the second occurred during the afternoon, shortly before 2:30 p.m. local time.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over the drones that entered North Korea and apologized for the ordeal, calling it “irresponsible.” The apology was initially reported to be well received by North Korean officials, most notably Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un. She expressed appreciation for Lee’s words, calling it “very fortunate and wise behavior.”
“The ROK president personally expressed regret and talked about a measure for preventing recurrence,” Kim said in a statement released by North Korea’s state-controlled media, the Korean Central News Agency. “Our government appreciated it as very fortunate and wise behavior for its own sake.”
Other North Korean officials were less civil and accommodating in their responses. Jang Kum Chol, a senior official at North Korea’s foreign ministry, labeled South Korea as a geopolitical enemy that is “most hostile” to his country.
“The identity of the ROK, the enemy state most hostile to the DPRK, can never change with any words or conduct,” said Jang.
South Korea convened an emergency National Security Council meeting on Wednesday in response to the missile launches, according to reports. Seoul claimed the missile launches were a “provocation” and violated United Nations Security Council resolutions. They urged the North Korean regime to stop launching ballistic missiles.
This week’s missile launches by North Korea were reportedly the fourth and fifth weapons tests by the country in 2026. Previously, North Korea tested two missiles in January and a third missile in March, according to multiple reports.
