(2nd LD) N. Korea fires ballistic missile amid tensions over DMZ mine blast

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(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; ADDS paras 3-9 with details, byline) By Kim Hyun-soo

SEOUL, Oct. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Saturday, South Korea's military said, as tensions heightened over a recent mine blast along the inter-Korean border that injured three South Korean soldiers.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch at about 6:30 a.m. from the Wonsan area, without elaborating on the type of missile launched.

The missile flew over 700 kilometers before landing at sea, the JCS said, adding it is analyzing the exact specifications of the launch with the U.S. side.

South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities had tracked the launch since its early stage and shared relevant information, the JCS said in a notice.

"Our military is closely monitoring various movements by the North under a robust South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and maintaining the capability and readiness to respond decisively to any provocations," it added.

While the military did not specify the type of missile, it is reportedly analyzing its specifications while leaving open the possibility that it may have been a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) or an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).

"There is a possibility that the North fired an IRBM with a reduced range," a government source said, adding the missile appears to be similar to the one launched on Aug. 12.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea on Aug. 12 in an apparent protest against the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise between the South and the U.S.

The military did not disclose the specifications of the missile at the time, but there was speculation that North Korea may have conducted a reduced-range test launch of an MRBM, with a range of 1,000 to 3,000 kilometers, or an IRBM, with a range of 3,000 to 5,500 kilometers.

A news report on North Korea's launch of short-range ballistic missiles is shown at Seoul Station on Sept. 12, 2026, a day after the South Korean military concluded the trilateral Freedom Edge military exercise with the United States and Japan. (Yonhap)

The latest launch came amid heightened inter-Korean tensions following the Sept. 21 blast of North Korean land mines inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. The incident left three South Korean soldiers injured, two of them seriously.

The South Korean military has blamed North Korea for the mine blast, calling it a "blatant violation" of the armistice agreement. Seoul has also demanded an apology from Pyongyang and urged it to halt border fortification work.

North Korea denied its involvement in a statement issued Wednesday by Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of its leader Kim Jong-un, accusing Seoul of fabricating the findings and warning of "merciless" retaliation if the South takes any corresponding actions.

In a separate statement Friday, Kim again repeated the denial of the North's responsibility, while deriding President Lee Jae Myung's pledge to reduce military tensions between the two Koreas as "the climax of the farce that everyone should watch."

She also dismissed Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's proposal for dialogue to discuss the issue of clarifying the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) as a "delusional, one-sided rant not worth responding to." Chung cited the fading visibility of the border line as a primary factor behind the DMZ blast.

Saturday's launch came just 13 days after the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea within hours of each other on Sept. 20.

sookim@yna.co.kr (END)

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（注意：更改标题、导语；新增第3-9段，包含详细信息和作者署名）金贤洙

首尔，10月3日（韩联社）——韩国军方称，朝鲜周六向东海发射了一枚弹道导弹。此前，朝韩边境发生地雷爆炸，造成三名韩国士兵受伤，导致紧张局势加剧。

联合参谋本部（JCS）表示，他们于早上6点30分左右探测到元山地区发射导弹，但没有详细说明发射的导弹类型。

联合参谋本部表示，导弹飞行了700多公里后落入海中，并补充说，正在与美方分析此次发射的具体细节。

韩国联合参谋本部在一份通知中表示，韩国和美国的情报机构从发射初期就对其进行了跟踪，并分享了相关信息。

“我军在强大的韩美联合防御态势下密切关注朝鲜的各种动向，并保持着对任何挑衅行为果断回应的能力和准备。”声明补充道。

虽然军方没有具体说明导弹的类型，但据报道，军方正在分析其规格，同时不排除它是中程弹道导弹（MRBM）或中程弹道导弹（IRBM）的可能性。

一位政府消息人士称，“朝鲜有可能发射了一枚射程缩短的中程弹道导弹”，并补充说，这枚导弹似乎与8月12日发射的那枚导弹类似。

8月12日，朝鲜从元山地区向东海发射了一枚弹道导弹，这显然是对韩美一年一度的“乙支自由之盾”联合军演的抗议。

当时军方没有透露导弹的具体规格，但有猜测认为朝鲜可能进行了射程缩短的中程弹道导弹（MRBM，射程1000至3000公里）或中程弹道导弹（IRBM，射程3000至5500公里）的试射。

2026年9月12日，在韩国军队与美国和日本结束“自由边缘”三方联合军事演习的第二天，首尔站播放了有关朝鲜发射短程弹道导弹的新闻报道。（韩联社）

此次导弹发射正值朝韩关系高度紧张之际。此前，朝鲜于9月21日在朝韩非军事区（DMZ）内引爆地雷，造成三名韩国士兵受伤，其中两人伤势严重。

韩国军方指责朝鲜制造了地雷爆炸事件，称其“公然违反”了停战协定。首尔方面还要求平壤道歉，并敦促其停止边境防御工事建设。

朝鲜周三发表声明，否认参与此事。声明由朝鲜领导人金正恩的妹妹金与正发表，指责首尔捏造调查结果，并警告称，如果韩国采取任何相应行动，朝鲜将进行“无情”报复。

在周五的另一份声明中，金正恩再次否认朝鲜对此负有责任，同时嘲讽李在明总统关于降低朝韩军事紧张局势的承诺是“一场闹剧的高潮，每个人都应该观看”。

她还驳斥了统一部长官郑东荣提出的就明确军事分界线问题进行对话的提议，称其为“不切实际的单方面咆哮，不值得回应”。郑东荣指出，边界线的可见性降低是导致非军事区爆炸事件的主要原因。

周六的发射距离朝鲜9月20日从元山地区向东海发射两枚短程弹道导弹仅13天。

sookim@yna.co.kr (完)

朝鲜向东海发射不明飞行物：联合参谋本部

（导语）朝鲜试射升级版多管火箭炮弹

（第四条）朝鲜在特朗普-习近平峰会前数小时内先后发射两枚短程弹道导弹

（第二条）朝鲜在非军事区地雷爆炸引发的紧张局势中发射弹道导弹