North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from near Pyongyang on Sunday morning. This marked the North's first weapons test of the year, occurring just before South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Seoul and Washington assessed it as non-threatening but urged Pyongyang to halt provocations.
On January 4, 2026, at around 7:50 a.m. KST, North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from an area near Pyongyang. According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the missiles flew approximately 900 kilometers before splashing down at sea. This was the North's first weapons test of the year, following its last short-range ballistic missile launch on November 7, 2025.
In response, the Office of National Security at Cheong Wa Dae convened an emergency meeting chaired by Deputy National Security Adviser Lim Jong-deuk, attended by officials from the defense ministry and JCS to assess the launch and review military readiness. The office stated, "North Korea's ballistic missile launch constitutes a provocative act in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, and we urge the North to cease such actions."
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said it was aware of the launches and consulting with allies and partners. "Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies," it added, reaffirming, "The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region."
Experts suggest the launches may be a protest against the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, noted, "The U.S. strike in Venezuela and capture of President Maduro may possibly send a powerful message to Kim Jong-un, one of an existential threat and one on the justification of adherence to nuclear arms."
The timing, hours before President Lee Jae-myung's departure for Beijing to meet President Xi Jinping, raises concerns for discussions on improving ties with Pyongyang and advancing Korean Peninsula denuclearization. Recently, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected facilities including a nuclear-powered submarine site and a munitions plant ahead of the ninth party congress.
