North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the test firing of strategic cruise missiles on the destroyer Choe Hyon. (April 12, 2026)
North Korea test-fires at least one ballistic missile: Yonhap
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North Korea tested at least one ballistic missile on Sunday in its latest launch conducted by the nuclear-armed state, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
The agency reported that South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected one ballistic missile fired eastward and is currently analyzing the launch.
North Korea had carried out weapons system tests over a three-day period earlier this month, including ballistic missile launches and cluster munitions, according to state media on April 8.
Analysts say these launches signal Pyongyang’s rejection of Seoul’s efforts to improve bilateral relations.
Those efforts included South Korea expressing regret over civilian drone incursions into North Korean airspace in January.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, initially described the statement as a “very wise and good move.”
However, earlier this month, a senior North Korean official referred to the South as “the most hostile enemy state” of Pyongyang, reviving language previously used by Kim Jong Un himself.
