North Korea Ballistic Missile Launches Put Japan, South Korea on Alert

North Korea launched suspected multiple ballistic missiles on Sunday local time, putting South Korea and Japan on alert even as the missiles fall into the waters near the east coast of the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea said in a statement that it has bolstered its surveillance posture and is closely exchanging information with the U.S. and Japan.

This would mark the seventh missile launch this year from the Hermit Kingdom, and occur ahead of a summit between the United States and China scheduled for mid-May, during which U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss North Korea.

Japan and Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staffs each announced the launch, though Japan only said it was a suspected ballistic missile launch while South Korea said multiple missiles had launched.

The missiles launched from the city of Sinpo at around 6:10 a.m. local time, which prompted an emergency security meeting in South Korea, according to Reuters.

This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.

This is a breaking news story. Updates will follow.

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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 8:19 PM.