Seoul: North Korea fired ballistic missiles toward East Sea

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, on Sunday, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing Seoul's military.

Yonhap cited the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or JCS, in Seoul as saying that it detected the launch.

"Our military maintains a firm readiness posture while closely sharing North Korean ballistic missile information with the U.S. and Japanese sides amid a heightened surveillance posture against additional launches," the JCS said.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense also reported the launch of a suspected ballistic missile by North Korea.

North Korea is prohibited by U.N. resolutions from launching or even testing ballistic missiles of any range. These are usually surface-to-surface missiles that can also be equipped with a nuclear warhead.

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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 6:34 PM.