North Korea fires intermediate-range missile in drill overseen by Kim Jong Un

Key facts

• North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile on October 3, 2026, from its eastern region toward the East Sea in a drill overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, hitting a target 1,000 km (621 miles) off its east coast, as reported by state media KCNA on October 4.
• The drill was intended to train troops operating a hypersonic strategic weapon system and to assess the reliability, efficiency and mobility of North Korea's war deterrent.
• Kim Yo Jong, senior official in the ruling Workers' Party, said South Korea and Japan failed to track the missile's flight due to a special 'wave-like trajectory mode'; South Korea's military assessed the missile flew more than 700 km.
• The test came amid escalating tensions over a landmine blast in the Demilitarized Zone last month that seriously wounded South Korean soldiers; South Korea blamed North Korea for planting the mines, which Kim Yo Jong called 'groundless'.
• Kim Jong Un reaffirmed that developing North Korea's nuclear war deterrent remains essential for national security, and North Korea has carried out more than 10 missile tests this year.