Official statements from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Japanese government alerts, or U.S. Department of Defense announcements.

North Korea Fires Multiple Short-Range Ballistic Missiles Ahead of Trump's Inauguration

Jan 14, 2025, 12:56 AM

North Korea has launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the waters off its east coast, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The missiles were fired into the East Sea (Sea of Japan) on January 14, 2025, marking the second launch event by North Korea this year. This comes just eight days after the previous missile test on January 6, when North Korea fired a mid-range hypersonic solid-fuel ballistic missile. The latest launch takes place ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, with authorities in Japan, the United States, and South Korea analyzing the tests amid concerns that North Korea may be accelerating its nuclear and missile development or testing new missile types. Japanese authorities issued an emergency alert following the launch.