North Korea launches fifth missile test after dousing South’s reconciliation hopes

AdvertisementNorth KoreaAsiaEast AsiaNorth Korea launches fifth missile test after dousing South’s reconciliation hopesA top Pyongyang official says the designation of the South as a hostile state ‘can never change with any words or conduct’ 3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenReutersPublished: 1:46pm, 8 Apr 2026North Korea fired several ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, following a separate launch detected a day earlier as Pyongyang doused Seoul’s hopes of an easing in tensions.South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the unidentified short-range missiles were launched at around 8.50am from near Wonsan on the North’s east coast.The missiles flew 240km (150 miles), the JCS ‌said, adding that South Korean and US authorities were conducting a detailed analysis of the launch. South Korea’s military also said it had detected the launch of a suspected ballistic missile from near Pyongyang on Tuesday. AdvertisementSouth Korea’s presidential Blue House convened an emergency National Security Council meeting on Wednesday, calling the launches a provocation that violated UN Security Council resolutions, according to media reports. It urged Pyongyang to end such tests. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, accompanied by daughter Ju-ae, oversees the test-launch of 600 mm-calibre multiple rocket launchers on March 14. Photo: KCNA/ReutersJapan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the missiles fired by North Korea this week did not enter the country’s territorial waters or exclusive economic zone and caused no damage.AdvertisementAdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x