Far East

North Korea, new ballistic missile launch towards the East

The launch was detected by both the South Koreans and the US and Japan. It may have been carried out by a submarine

19 April 2026

Il leader nordcoreano Kim Jong Un in una foto recente. KCNA via REUTERS via REUTERS

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Sunday, according to reports from neighbouring countries, just days after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned that North Korea was making 'very serious' progress in its nuclear weapons development programme.

The missiles, launched from the Sinpo area, travelled about 140 kilometres each in the direction of the country's eastern waters, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said that South Korea is ready to repel any provocation by North Korea and is in close contact with the US and Japan to exchange information.

At an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, senior South Korean officials expressed concern over North Korea's repeated ballistic missile tests and urged it to stop them immediately. Sunday's launches came just hours before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung left for a visit to India and Vietnam.

Launches also taken over by the US and Japan

The US and Japanese armed forces also claimed to have detected the launches. The US Indo-Pacific Command reiterated its commitment to the defence of US territory and its allies in the region. Japan's Ministry of Defence stated that Tokyo strongly protested to Pyongyang, saying that the launches threaten regional and international peace and violate UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting any ballistic missile activity by North Korea.

Sinpo, the launch site, is an eastern coastal city in North Korea, home to a major shipyard used for building submarines.

According to South Korean media, the South Korean armed forces are analysing whether the latest launches were made from a submarine, a land-based launch platform, or both. Asked about the missile launch site, Japanese Deputy Defence Minister Masahisa Miyazaki told reporters that Japan is analysing the launch details in coordination with the US and South Korea.

If the launches were made from a submarine, it would be North Korea's first ballistic missile test from a submarine in four years.

The possibility that North Korea has acquired the ability to launch missiles from submarine platforms would be a worrying development, since it is difficult for its rivals to detect such launches in advance. Last year, North Korea presented a nuclear-powered submarine under construction for the first time.

Sunday's launches were the latest in a series of missile tests conducted by North Korea this year.

Last week, North Korea claimed that leader Kim Jong Un supervised missile tests from a destroyer. The previous week, North Korea had claimed to have conducted three days of test activities to test ballistic missiles armed with cluster warheads and other new weapon systems. Last month, it had claimed to have tested an upgraded solid propellant engine for missiles capable of reaching US mainland territory.