Sunday Launch From Coastal Shipyard
North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Sunday morning, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The missiles fired from the Sinpo area, an eastern coastal city where North Korea maintains a major shipyard for building submarines, traveled approximately 140 kilometers each before landing in waters off the country's east coast. Japan's Defense Ministry and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command also detected the launches, confirming the activity across the region.
Uncertainty Over Launch Platform
South Korea's military was analyzing whether the missiles came from a submarine, a land-based launcher, or both platforms, according to South Korean media. Japan's Deputy Minister of Defense Masahisa Miyazaki told reporters that Japan was analyzing launch details in coordination with the U.S. and South Korea. If the launches involved a submarine, it would mark North Korea's first submarine-launched ballistic missile test in four years.
Escalating Nuclear Capabilities
The launches came days after the International Atomic Energy Agency warned of "a very serious increase" in North Korea's nuclear weapons production capabilities. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said his agency confirmed "a rapid increase" in activities at nuclear manufacturing facilities in North Korea. Last September, South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said that North Korea was operating four uranium enrichment facilities and that they were running every day.
For example, Rafael Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agency Director General, told reporters in Seoul that activities in North Korea point to "a very serious increase" in its nuclear weapons production capabilities.
Regional Alarm and Diplomatic Response
South Korea's National Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss the launches, with senior officials expressing concerns about North Korea's repeated ballistic missile tests and urging it to stop them immediately. Japan's Defense Ministry strongly protested to Pyongyang, saying the launches threaten regional and international peace and violated UN Security Council resolutions that ban any ballistic activities by North Korea. South Korea has bolstered its surveillance posture and is closely exchanging information with the U.S. and Japan. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said it remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and its allies in the region.
Pattern of Recent Testing
Sunday's launches were the latest in North Korea's run of weapons tests this year. Last week, North Korea said leader Kim Jong Un supervised missile tests from the country's destroyer. In the previous week, North Korea said it had three days of testing activities to examine ballistic missiles armed with cluster-bomb warheads and other new weapons systems. Last month, it said it tested an upgraded solid-fuel engine for missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.
The sources also report that North Korea unveiled a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, potentially advancing its underwater missile capabilities.