North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Wednesday in its second launch in two days, the South Korean military said, hours after a senior North Korean official leveled crude insults at Seoul’s hopes for warmer ties.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said several missiles took off from North Korea’s eastern coast of Wonsan on Wednesday morning, each flying about 240 kilometers (150 miles) toward the North’s eastern waters. It said an additional North Korean ballistic missile fired later Wednesday traveled more than 700 kilometers (435 miles) off the North’s east coast.
The South Korean military said it remains ready to repel any provocation from North Korea as part of a solid military alliance with the United States. It previously said it had detected the launch of an unidentified projectile from North Korea’s capital on Tuesday.
South Korean media reported that the projectile, also believed to be a ballistic missile, disappeared from South Korean military radars after showing abnormal development in the initial launch phase. This indicated that the launch was reported to have ended in failure.
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People at the Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea, watch as the news shows file footage of North Korea’s missile launch on April 8, 2026. The missile tests come as North Korea continues weapons development and strengthens ties with Russia and China. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The back-to-back launches came after North Korea made clear it has no plans to improve ties with South Korea, where the liberal government has steadfastly expressed hope of restoring long-dormant dialogue.
Jang Kum Chol, First Vice Minister of Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry, said on Tuesday evening that South Korea would always remain North Korea’s “most hostile enemy state.” He derided South Korea as “world-surprising fools” engaged in wishful thinking over a recent statement by Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
After South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over alleged civilian drone flights into North Korea, Kim Yo Jong on Monday evening praised him for what she called honesty and courage, but reiterated the threat to retaliate if such flights repeat. South Korean officials responded by describing Kim Yo Jong’s statement as meaningful progress in relations.
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Kim Jong Un delivers a speech in Pyongyang, North Korea, on February 15, 2026. North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern waters on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, after rejecting South Korea’s overtures for better ties. (KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
Jang said her statement was intended as a warning. He quoted Kim Yo Jong calling South Korea “the scabies-stricken dogs that blindly bark to the tune of neighboring dogs” as she criticized the country for recently co-sponsoring a U.N. resolution on the North’s alleged human rights abuses.
North Korea has refused to return to talks with South Korea and the US and has pushed to expand its nuclear arsenal since Kim Jong Un’s diplomacy with US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. North Korea has instead sought to strengthen ties with Russia, China and other countries locked in confrontations with the US. Last September, Kim Jong Un traveled to Beijing to attend a military parade with other foreign leaders and held his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in six years.
North Korean state media said on Wednesday that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit North Korea on Thursday for a two-day trip.
NORTH KOREA TESTS SOLID FUEL ROCKET ENGINE AS KIM RAISES THREAT TO US MAINLAND
People walk on the street in Pyongyang on March 23, 2026. Pyongyang escalated tensions with back-to-back missile tests on April 8, 2026, while issuing harsh rhetoric against Seoul’s diplomatic efforts. (KIM Won Jin/AFP via Getty Images)
Earlier this week, North Korea said Kim Jong Un had observed a test of an improved solid fuel engine for weapons, calling it a major development that would strengthen his country’s strategic military arsenal.
Rockets with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and conceal their launches than liquid-fueled weapons, which generally require refueling before takeoff and do not last long.
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South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Monday that the engine test was likely related to an effort to build a more powerful solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile that could carry multiple nuclear warheads, according to lawmakers who attended the meeting.
Experts say North Korea wants multi-nuclear missiles to penetrate US missile defenses, but they doubt Pyongyang has mastered the technology needed to acquire such a weapon.
