North Korea fires short-range missiles into sea, South Korea says

SEOUL — North Korea fired what appeared to be multiple short-range missiles off its east coast, South Korea's military said on Thursday.

The projectiles were launched from Wonsan, North Korea's eastern coastal city, around 8:10 a.m., the military said in a statement.

South Korea is closely communicating with the U.S. and Japan to share information about the launch, it added.

The nuclear-armed North's ballistic missile program is banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions, but in recent years Pyongyang has forged ahead in developing missiles of all ranges.

In March, North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles, while blaming the South Korean and U.S. militaries for conducting drills it calls dangerous and provocative.

North Korea has also exported short-range ballistic missiles, among other weapons, to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine, according to U.S. and allied intelligence agencies as well as independent researchers.

Pyongyang and Moscow have denied the weapons trade, although North Korean troops have been deployed to fight on the frontlines in Russia's Kursk region.

© Thomson Reuters 2025.