People are observing a television screen showing a news report featuring archived footage of a North Korean missile trial, at a train depot in Seoul on April 19, 2026. Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images
LONDON, TOKYO and SEOUL — North Korea carried out a test launch of "several" ballistic projectiles early Sunday morning, according to authorities in South Korea, who conveyed that the projectiles were discharged in the direction of the sea positioned between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
The discharges commenced at approximately 6:10 a.m. local time in proximity to Sinpo, a coastal city situated on North Korea's eastern shoreline, according to details from South Korea’s Defense Ministry. The U.S. and Japan verified the launches, stating they were directed towards the East Sea, which is also recognized as the Sea of Japan.
"Thorough specifics are being intensely scrutinized by South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies currently," representatives in Seoul communicated in a formal statement. "Our armed forces are vigilantly observing North Korea’s military undertakings under a robust collective defense stance and retain a significant capability and readiness to counteract any provocation."
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.Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff indicated the projectiles traveled around 140 km, or approximately 90 miles, NHK of Japan communicated. Yonhap, a South Korean press organization, stated that, given that Sinpo is considered to house a North Korean submarine installation, South Korean military bodies were investigating whether the discharges might have encompassed submarine-launched ballistic projectiles together with ground-based launches.
The discharges transpired subsequent to a visit to South Korea by the leader of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear regulatory body, during which the agency had once more urged North Korea to partake in diplomacy and comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions.
"As global awareness is centered on happenings in the Middle East, we should not overlook strains and divisions elsewhere, notably here on the Korean Peninsula," Rafael Grossi, the IAEA director, articulated during a tour of the Demilitarized Zone that differentiates North and South Korea.
The South Korean Defense Ministry reflected that opinion on Sunday, characterizing Pyongyang’s test-launches as a "definite contravention" of U.N. resolutions.
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.Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images
"North Korea must promptly halt its recurrent missile provocations that intensify tensions on the Korean Peninsula and proactively engage in our government’s endeavors to institute peace," the ministry conveyed.
North Korea's Permanent Mission to the U.N. communicated late the prior year that the IAEA, the intergovernmental organization for atomic collaboration, possesses no "legal entitlement and ethical basis" to meddle with what North Korea voiced it regarded as an "internal matter."
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizuma, who was journeying in Australia, conveyed on Sunday that his nation would "collaborate intimately with the United States and South Korea and sustain full preparedness for any potential situations."
The United States Indo-Pacific Command indicated in a declaration on social media that it was cognizant of the launches and was conferring with regional partners.
"Based on present analyses, this occurrence does not present an immediate hazard to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our partners," the command stated via social media. "The United States continues to be dedicated to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our partners within the region."
Sourse: abcnews.go.com