▲ North Korea carries out a firepower strike drill involving 600 mm ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers on March 14, 2026, in this photo published by the Korean Central News Agency the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) N Korea-missile launch

(LEAD) N. Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS details throughout, byline)

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, April 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Sunday, South Korea's military said.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the missiles launched from the Sinpho area in the North at around 6:10 a.m., adding it has strengthened surveillance against the possibility of additional launches.

"Our military maintains a firm readiness posture while closely sharing North Korean ballistic missile information with the U.S. and Japanese sides amid a heightened surveillance posture against additional launches," the JCS said.

North Korea last fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on April 8, in a rare pair of launches conducted in a single day. The North also fired an unidentified projectile the previous day, but it disappeared shortly after it was fired in an apparent failure.

Following the series of launches over two days, North Korea's state media said the North test-fired a tactical ballistic missile tipped with a cluster bomb warhead, claiming it can "reduce to ashes any target" within its range with the highest-density power.

State media also reported Pyongyang conducted tests of an electromagnetic weapon system and carbon fiber sham bombs scattering while verifying the combat reliability of a mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile system.

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