# North Korea Missile Launches: Latest Launch and 2026 Log

Updated 11:32 UTC, 29 Oct 2026. Canonical: https://monitorworld.app/live/north-korea-missile-launches

**North Korea last fired missiles on 29 Oct 2026 (today)**, from the Wonsan area. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles, about 250 km; JCS calls it the 17th launch of 2026 (reported by Korea Herald). Below is every 2026 launch we could match to a published report, with its date and source, plus the latest media reports and yearly totals. We do not predict launches.

## Key numbers

- Latest launch in our log: **29 Oct 2026** (today, JCS via Korea Herald)
- Launch events in 2026 (JCS count): **17** (to 29 Oct 2026)
- Last nuclear test: **Sep 2017** (sixth test; none since)
- North Korea risk score (our model): **26/100** (trend stable)

## North Korea missile news: latest media reports

- [HIGH] [North Korea fires 'around a dozen' ballistic missiles amid rising tensions with South Korea](https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20261029-north-korea-launches-around-a-dozen-ballistic-missiles-amid-rising-tensions-with-south-korea) (France 24, 05:04 UTC, 7h ago)
- [HIGH] [North Korea fires around 10 ballistic missiles into sea](https://www.dw.com/en/north-korea-fires-around-10-ballistic-missiles-into-sea/a-79791900?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-xml-mrss) (DW News, 04:57 UTC, 7h ago)
- [HIGH] [North Korea Designations; Democratic Republic of the Congo-related Designations](https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20261028) (Treasury, 14:37 UTC, 21h ago)

## 2026 launch log (newest first)

- [LAUNCH] [Wonsan: More than 10 short-range ballistic missiles, about 250 km; JCS calls it the 17th launch of 2026](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10919068) (2026-10-29, reported by Korea Herald, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [2 ballistic missiles, more than 900 km](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/defense/20261013/us-pacific-command-says-n-korea-fired-2-ballistic-missiles-reaffirms-defense-commitment) (2026-10-12, reported by Korea Times, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [Wonsan: Ballistic missile, more than 700 km; Kim Yo Jong called it an intermediate-range test](https://view.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2026100309210850462) (2026-10-03, reported by Asia Economy, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [2 short-range ballistic missiles, hours apart; KCNA: Hwasong-11 Ma-1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20260920/n-korea-fires-2-short-range-ballistic-missiles-hours-apart-ahead-of-trump-xi-summit) (2026-09-20, reported by Korea Times, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [Several short-range ballistic missiles, about 250 km](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20260912/n-korea-fires-multiple-short-range-ballistic-missiles-toward-east-sea-jcs) (2026-09-12, reported by Korea Times, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [About 10 short-range ballistic missiles as US-South Korea drills end](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/20/north-korea-launches-ballistic-missiles-as-us-south-korea-drills-end) (2026-08-20, reported by Al Jazeera, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [Wonsan: Ballistic missile, about 700 km](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/12/n-korea-launches-ballistic-missile-as-s-korea-us-plan-military-drills) (2026-08-12, reported by Al Jazeera, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [Wonsan: Short-range ballistic missile](https://www.nknews.org/2026/08/north-korea-launches-unidentified-projectile-toward-east-sea-jcs/) (2026-08-06, reported by NK News, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [Chongju: Short-range ballistic missile and other projectiles into the Yellow Sea](https://euronews.com/2026/05/26/north-korea-fires-projectiles-including-ballistic-missile-into-yellow-sea-seoul-says) (2026-05-26, reported by Euronews, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [Sinpo: Several ballistic missiles; KCNA: Hwasong-11 Ra](https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2026/04/19/north-korea-fires-multiple-ballistic-missiles-towards-sea-off-its-east-coast) (2026-04-19, reported by The Star, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [Wonsan: Two launches; KCNA: Hwasong-11 Ga](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20260408/n-korea-conducts-back-to-back-ballistic-missile-launches-in-show-of-force) (2026-04-08, reported by Korea Times, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [Pyongyang: Ballistic missile, apparently failed](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20260408/n-korea-conducts-back-to-back-ballistic-missile-launches-in-show-of-force) (2026-04-07, reported by Korea Times, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [Pyongyang: About 10 ballistic missiles from the Sunan area during joint drills](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20260314/n-korea-fires-projectile-as-s-korea-us-conduct-joint-drills) (2026-03-14, reported by Korea Times, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [2 ballistic missiles, about 350 km; KCNA: large-calibre rockets](https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2026/01/27/north-korea-fires-ballistic-missiles-towards-sea-of-japan) (2026-01-27, reported by The Star, JCS)
- [LAUNCH] [Pyongyang: About 2 ballistic missiles; KCNA: hypersonic](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/4/north-korea-fires-missiles-towards-sea-as-south-korean-leader-visits-china) (2026-01-04, reported by Al Jazeera, JCS)

## Key context

### Main launches in 2025

| Date | What was reported | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-11-07 | Short-range ballistic missile, about 700 km | [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/7/north-korea-fires-ballistic-missile-days-after-hegseth-visit-says-seoul) |
| 2025-10-22 | Short-range ballistic missiles; KCNA: hypersonic | [NK News](https://www.nknews.org/2025/10/north-korea-launches-ballistic-missile-first-in-five-months-jcs/) |
| 2025-05-08 | Mix of KN-23 and KN-25 short-range missiles, up to 800 km | [Korea Times](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20250508/north-korea-fires-short-range-ballistic-missiles-in-possible-test-for-arms-exports-to-russia) |
| 2025-03-10 | Close-range ballistic missiles as US-South Korea drills begin | [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/10/north-korea-fires-missiles-as-south-us-launch-military-drills) |
| 2025-01-14 | Several short-range ballistic missiles | [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/14/north-korea-launches-multiple-short-range-ballistic-missiles) |
| 2025-01-06 | Hypersonic intermediate-range missile, about 1,100 km | [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/7/north-korea-says-test-of-new-hypersonic-missile-successful) |

### Ballistic missiles fired per year

Count of individual ballistic missiles (not launch events), by 38 North citing the Wall Street Journal, January 2026.

| Year | Ballistic missiles |
| --- | --- |
| 2022 | 69 |
| 2023 | 31 |
| 2024 | 41 |
| 2025 | about 15 |

### What changed recently

In 2026 North Korea has fired mostly short-range ballistic missiles, often in salvos of about ten, many from the Wonsan area on the east coast, and often during or after US-South Korean military drills. It has also tested longer-range missiles: Seoul reported flights of more than 700 km on 3 October and more than 900 km on 12 October. North Korea says it tests new variants of its Hwasong-11 family and cruise missiles, including one fired from a submarine on 14 October (reported by the Korea Times).

The bigger picture: no nuclear test since September 2017 and no ICBM flight since October 2024, a new Hwasong-20 ICBM shown at the October 2025 parade, and a mutual-defence treaty with Russia in force since December 2024, under which North Korean troops fought in Russia's Kursk region.

### How we build this log

We list a launch only when South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) or Japan's Ministry of Defense reported it and a news report confirms it; each row in the log links to that report. JCS counts 17 launch events in 2026 up to 29 October; the log above has the 15 we could match to a published report. North Korea's own claims (from its state agency KCNA) are marked as such. Media reports above update every 10 to 15 minutes and are not verified by us. For official data, see [Japan's Ministry of Defense](https://www.mod.go.jp/en/) and the [CSIS Missile Threat](https://missilethreat.csis.org/country/dprk/) and [NTI/CNS](https://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/cns-north-korea-missile-test-database/) databases. We do not predict launches.

## FAQ

### Did North Korea fire any missiles today?

The latest launch in our log was on 29 Oct 2026 (today): More than 10 short-range ballistic missiles, about 250 km; JCS calls it the 17th launch of 2026, reported by Korea Herald, citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. We add launches after Seoul or Tokyo confirm them; check the media reports above for the last hours.

### How often does North Korea test missiles?

It varies a lot from year to year. By one count (38 North, citing the Wall Street Journal) North Korea fired 69 ballistic missiles in 2022, 31 in 2023, 41 in 2024 and about 15 in 2025. Counted as launch events instead of missiles, South Korea's JCS reported 17 in 2026 up to 29 October. Trackers count in different ways, so the numbers differ.

### Can North Korea's missiles reach the United States?

North Korea has flight-tested intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with ranges that could in theory reach the US mainland; the Hwasong-19 flew for about 86 minutes on 31 October 2024, its longest flight. Analysts still debate whether its warheads can survive re-entry. A newer Hwasong-20 was shown at a parade in October 2025 but has no known flight test.

### When was North Korea's last nuclear test?

Its sixth and last known nuclear test was on 3 September 2017. We found no report of a seventh test as of late October 2026. MonitorWorld does not predict when or whether another test will happen.

### How powerful is North Korea's military?

North Korea has one of the world's largest armies, nuclear weapons, and a large and varied missile force: short-range missiles that can reach all of South Korea, intermediate-range missiles that can reach Japan and Guam, and ICBMs. Its air force and navy are old. Since a 2024 treaty with Russia it has sent troops and munitions to support Russia's war against Ukraine.

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## Sources

- [The GDELT Project (DOC 2.0 API)](https://www.gdeltproject.org/): media reports, matched by keyword. Headlines link to the publisher; MonitorWorld does not verify them.
- [MonitorWorld news digest](https://monitorworld.app/sources): headlines from public news feeds (Reuters, AP, BBC, Al Jazeera and others), severity rated by our model. Each headline links to the publisher.
- [MonitorWorld risk index](https://monitorworld.app/sources): 0-100 country and global risk scores computed from news activity, conflict data and military activity. An estimate, not an official rating.
- [South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff (via the linked reports)](https://www.jcs.mil.kr/): launch dates, areas and ranges.
- [Japan Ministry of Defense](https://www.mod.go.jp/en/): launch press releases.
- [38 North](https://www.38north.org/2026/01/new-missiles-but-fewer-launches-a-missile-sub-reveal-and-a-nuclear-armed-air-force/): yearly missile counts and analysis.
- [CSIS Missile Threat: North Korea](https://missilethreat.csis.org/country/dprk/): missile types and ranges.

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