It’s the country’s latest show of force
North Korea has launched a fresh ballistic missile test, amid an increase in demonstrations since the start of the war in Iran.
Ballistic missiles were fired into the sea from the east coast of the country early on Sunday morning (19 April).
South Korea says the missiles were launched from the city of Sinpo at around 6.10am (10.10pm on Saturday UK time).
It marks the fourth time North Korea has launched missiles this month alone, and their seventh since the start of 2026.
“The missile launches may be a way of showing that – unlike Iran – we have self-defence capabilities,” Kim Ki-jung, the former South Korean presidential security adviser told Sky News.
“The North also appears to be exerting pressure pre-emptively and make a show of force before engaging in dialogue with the United States and South Korea,” he says.
It is not known exactly what type of missiles were in this launch, but Sinpo is home to a number of submarines, and has capability to test submarine-launched ballistic missile launches.
Experts have warned that the Iran War could lead to North Korea fortifying their nuclear ambitions.
The International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi warned this week that Pyongyang has made some “very serious” moves in its ability to produce nuclear weapons. It is believed the North has a probable new uranium enrichment facility.
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