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North Korea Fires Ballistic and Cruise Missiles Amid Rising Korean Tensions

North Korea carried out two separate missile events in October: a ballistic missile launch and, days later, a submarine-launched cruise missile test, reported with varying levels of detail across outlets.

Analysis deskEditor Andersson Iyke
23 outlets, 8 regions
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What happened

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast, according to South Korea's military and Japan's Ministry of Defense.5920

Separately, North Korea's state media KCNA reported the test-firing of two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles, with photos showing different launch trajectories.281016

The tests follow a landmine or blast incident in the Demilitarised Zone that injured three South Korean soldiers, and come after South Korea's own test of a hypersonic missile.191622

North Korea also confirmed a test of a tactical ballistic missile involving what it described as a technological upgrade to a key missile component.1219

What's agreed

Reported consistently by outlets in more than one region.

  • North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast.159172021
  • North Korea separately test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles, as reported by its state media KCNA.2781013141516
  • A landmine or blast in the Demilitarised Zone injured three South Korean soldiers, heightening tensions between the two Koreas.1161721
  • North Korea also confirmed a separate test-firing of a tactical ballistic missile, said to involve a technological upgrade.1219

Where accounts differ

Each account is attributed to who makes it. We do not judge between them.

Number and type of missiles fired in the ballistic missile launch

South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff and Japanese Ministry of Defense, via Clarín

Reported North Korea launched ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan without specifying an exact count.5

Reuters, via Daily Maverick

Reported North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast, marking its fourth launch in a month.9

Launch platform for the cruise missiles

Yonhap and Le Monde

Reported the cruise missiles were possibly fired from a nuclear attack submarine, describing this as unconfirmed.104

South China Morning Post

Reported the missiles were fired from a tactical nuclear-capable submarine using two different launch methods.2

Purpose and risk assessment of the tests

North Korean state media (KCNA), via NDTV and France 24

Stated the launches posed no threat or adverse impact on the security of neighboring countries.1316

Observers cited by South China Morning Post, and Deutsche Welle

Said the tests could complicate regional defence and are part of an intensifying arms race feared by military planners.211

How it's framed

What each perspective puts first, based on headlines and summaries.

PerspectiveHow it readsWhat it puts first
North Korean and allied state mediaEast AsiaEmphasizes North Korea's own stated purposes for the tests, framing them as defensive readiness measures with no threat to neighbors.781319technological upgrade, readiness of underwater combat systems, no threat to neighbors
South Korean, Japanese and allied outletsEast AsiaFrames the launches primarily through the lens of South Korea's and Japan's military responses and reporting, often linking them to the DMZ blast and broader tension with Pyongyang.101520military readiness, emergency security meeting, DMZ blast context
European outletsEuropeEmphasizes the strategic and regional arms-race implications of North Korea's submarine-launched capability, including South Korea's potential response.41116arms race, nuclear deterrent, South Korea's submarine program
Middle Eastern outletsMiddle East & TurkeyReports the ballistic missile launches with attribution to South Korea's military, situating them within the broader pattern of rising inter-Korean tensions and border incidents.172112rising tensions, South Korea's confirmation, border mine blast
South Asian outletsSouth AsiaCovers both the ballistic and cruise missile tests with emphasis on the technical details reported by North Korean state media and the broader regional tension context, including mention of a potential Kim-Trump summit.7131822technical details, KCNA statements, potential summit
African outletsAfricaReports the missile launches as part of a sequence of tests, linking them to South Korea's hypersonic missile test and the DMZ blast context.19sequence of tests, hypersonic test comparison
Latin American outletsLatin AmericaProvides a brief, fact-focused account citing South Korean and Japanese official sources, noting no material damage.5official sources, no damage reported
Southeast Asian state and private outletsSoutheast AsiaReports the submarine-launched cruise missile tests with reference to rising tensions with South Korea, largely following North Korean state media's framing of events.814rising tensions, state media attribution

What the coverage leaves out

  • None of the outlets reviewed reported independent verification of North Korea's claimed missile specifications beyond what KCNA stated.
  • None of the outlets reviewed detailed the South Korean or Japanese governments' formal diplomatic response beyond convening a security meeting.
  • Sources indicate the ballistic missile launch (around October 12) and the submarine-launched cruise missile test (around October 14-15) were separate incidents on different dates, not a single event.
  • None of the outlets reviewed reported reactions from the United States, China, or the United Nations to the missile tests.
  • A concurrent Russian submarine missile exercise (reported by TASS and Al Jazeera) was covered separately by some outlets around the same period but is not linked by any source to the North Korean tests.

Why it matters

The tests follow a landmine explosion in the DMZ that injured three South Korean soldiers, and come amid an intensifying pattern of weapons tests by both Koreas that observers describe as an arms race.21116

Analysts say North Korea's apparent progress in submarine-launched weapons could complicate regional defence planning and has prompted South Korea to consider accelerating its own nuclear-powered submarine program.24

What to watch

  • Whether South Korea proceeds with plans to accelerate its own nuclear-powered attack submarine program, as reported by Le Monde.
  • A potential summit between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump is mentioned by a single outlet, The Kathmandu Post.

Sources (23)

Every outlet we drew on, grouped by where it is based. Read the originals for the full reporting.

Latin America

Europe

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