South Korea (South Korea) reported that North Korea (North Korea), its neighboring country, had fired around 10 ballistic missiles, the type of which was not identified, towards the Sea of Japan or East Sea on Saturday (14/3) local time.
Pyongyang has so far not released an official statement regarding the missile launch. But the launch activity came days after North Korea warned of “dire consequences” for ongoing annual military exercises by South Korea and the United States (US).
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in a statement, as reported AFPSaturday (14/3/2026), said that the Seoul military detected “around 10 unidentified ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea towards the East Sea at around 13.20 local time”.
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Separately, the Japanese Ministry of Defense also confirmed North Korea’s missile launch activity.
“What may have been a ballistic missile was launched from North Korea,” the Japanese Ministry of Defense said via social media X.
In a separate statement minutes later, Japan’s Ministry of Defense reported that the projectile was “believed to have fallen.”
The missile launch activity was carried out by North Korea after recently dashing hopes of thawing diplomatic relations with South Korea. Pyongyang authorities in a statement called Seoul’s latest peace efforts a “clumsy and deceptive joke.”
Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country had “absolutely nothing to do with South Korea, its most hostile entity, and will permanently exclude South Korea from the category of compatriots”.
South Korea, US begin joint military drillsFreedom Shield” on Monday (9/3) local time, involving around 18,000 South Korean troops and will last until March 19.
Nuclear-armed North Korea has long described such military exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion of its territory.
Earlier this week, Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s younger sister and confidant, said the joint US-South Korea drills “could have very dire consequences”.
See also Video: North Korea Tests Ballistic Missiles Ahead of Trump’s Arrival to South Korea
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(nvc/imk)