What did Kim Jong-un say about North Korea’s latest missile launch and deterrent posture?

Kim said it was important to show the military’s counterattack means in a constant mobilization posture and to keep making the enemy recognize the reliability and fatality of North Korea’s strategic offensive means. He described the launch as a form of exercising deterrent aimed at rapidly developing the country’s nuclear war deterrent.

Where did North Korea fire the missile, and what did South Korea say it detected?

North Korea said the missile was fired toward the East Sea at dawn on Saturday, while South Korea’s military said it detected a ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area early that morning. The South Korean military estimated the missile flew over 700 kilometers.

Why did the missile launch happen amid tensions with South Korea?

The launch came after a Sept. 21 land mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone injured three South Korean soldiers. Seoul blamed North Korea, called it a blatant violation of the armistice agreement, and demanded an apology and responsible measures, while Pyongyang denied responsibility and warned of merciless retaliation if South Korea took any corresponding actions.

N. Korea's Kim oversees hypersonic missile launch, calls for bolstering war deterrent

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Summary

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the launch of an intermediate-range strategic missile toward the East Sea on Saturday and urged continued efforts to bolster the fatality of the North’s offensive weapons. State media said the drill trained missile troops using the hypersonic strategic weapon system. Kim said the launch was meant to strengthen the country’s nuclear war deterrent.

Key Facts

The Korean Central News Agency said the missile hit a target 1,000 kilometers away from the East Sea.
South Korea’s military said it detected a ballistic missile fired from the Wonsan area early Saturday morning and estimated it flew over 700 kilometers.
Kim Yo-jong said South Korean and Japanese authorities failed to track the missile’s trajectory because of limitations in their tracking capabilities.
Experts raised the possibility that North Korea fired the Hwasong-16 Na hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile because the state media said the missile could change its flight orbit at low altitude.
The launch came amid tensions over a Sept. 21 land mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone that injured three South Korean soldiers.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 4, 2026 8:33 am KST
Updated Oct 4, 2026 8:47 am KST

An intermediate-range strategic missile is fired by the North the previous day, overseen by its leader Kim Jong-un, in this photo carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Sunday. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen the launch of an intermediate-range strategic missile and called for continued efforts to bolster the "fatality" of the country's offensive weapons, state media reported Sunday.

North Korea conducted a firing drill of the missile toward the East Sea at dawn on Saturday as part of efforts to train missile troops operating the "hypersonic strategic weapon system," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim said it is very important to demonstrate the counterattack means of the North's military in a "constant mobilization posture," according to the report.

"We must continue our responsible efforts nonstop to constantly and repeatedly make the enemy recognize the reliability and fatality of our strategic offensive means," the North's leader was quoted as saying by the KCNA.

"This is a form of exercising deterrent," he said, noting that such a missile launch is aimed at "more rapidly developing the country's nuclear war deterrent."

Photos published by state media showed Kim overseeing the launch with his daughter, Ju-ae, and his wife, Ri Sol-ju.

The KCNA said the missile, launched toward the northeast, hit a target 1,000 kilometers away from the East Sea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, is seen overseeing an intermediate-range strategic missile launch the previous day, in this photo carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Sunday. Yonhap

The South Korean military earlier said it detected North Korea firing a ballistic missile toward the East Sea early Saturday morning from the Wonsan area and it flew over 700km.

Less than 12 hours after the launch, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North's leader, disclosed the firing late Saturday. She claimed military authorities of South Korea and Japan failed in tracking the trajectory of the missile due to the limitation of their tracking capabilities.

Experts raised the possibility of North Korea firing the Hwasong-16 Na hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile, citing North Korea's media report that the launched missile was capable of changing its flight orbit at a low altitude.

The missile launch came amid heightened tensions over last month's land mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that injured three South Korean soldiers.

The South Korean military blamed North Korea for the Sept. 21 mine blast and called it a "blatant" violation of the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. Seoul demanded an apology and responsible measures from Pyongyang.

North Korea has denied responsibility for the incident, accusing Seoul of fabricating the findings and warning of "merciless" retaliation if the South takes any corresponding actions.

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