North Korea launches multiple ballistic missiles into sea, Seoul holds emergency security meeting
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "North Korea launches multiple ballistic missiles into sea, Seoul holds emergency security meeting")
People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul on April 19, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
North Korea fired multiple short-range missiles into the East Sea, as South Korea holds emergency security meeting amid tensions.
North Korea on Sunday (Apr 19) test-fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea said. The projectiles were fired into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, from the Sinpo area of North Korea, Seoul’s military added. The launches come amid a series of weapons tests by Pyongyang in recent weeks, including ballistic missiles, anti-warship cruise missiles and cluster munitions.
“Our military detected several short-range ballistic missiles fired into the East Sea from the Sinpo area of North Korea at around 6:10 am (GMT 21:10),” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
“The missiles flew approximately 140 kilometres (86.9 miles), and South Korean and US intelligence authorities are conducting a detailed analysis of their exact specifications,” the statement added.
It added that Seoul is maintaining a “firm combined defence posture” with the United States and will “respond overwhelmingly to any provocation”. About 28,000 US troops have been stationed in the South to help defend against threats by the North’s military.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s office said that it held an emergency security meeting following the missile launches.
Analysts have said that the tests suggest Pyongyang’s latest dismissal of efforts by Seoul to repair strained ties between the neighbours.
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Earlier in April, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw strategic cruise missile tests from a naval warship, highlighting North Korea’s push to strengthen its navy. The tests involved the Choe Hyon, one of two 5,000-ton destroyers launched last year, with two more under construction. Lawmaker Yoo Yong-won said Pyongyang is accelerating naval modernisation, possibly with support from Russia. Reports suggest North Korea is aiding Russia’s war in Ukraine, receiving military technology in return.
