North Korea test-fires ballistic missile as tensions rise on the Korean Peninsula

North Korea fired a ballistic missile from the Wonsan area at around 6:30 a.m. local time on Saturday, sending it roughly 700 kilometers into the East Sea (Sea of Japan); Japan's military said it landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. Kim Yo Jong said leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test and claimed the missile was an intermediate-range weapon with maneuverable flight to evade missile defenses — these are Pyongyang's claims, which South Korea's military has not confirmed. The launch came amid heightened tensions after landmine blasts in the Demilitarized Zone on September 21 wounded South Korean soldiers.

Source: Associated Press via Military.com, October 3, 2026. https://www.military.com/north-korea-test-fired-intermediate-range-missile-tensions-grow-over-mine-blasts