North Korea fires ballistic missiles, then reports submarine cruise missile tests

The latest launches came after South Korea's successful hypersonic missile test. South Korea's military described North Korea's response as a "show of force", according to Deutsche Welle, which called it the North's fourth missile launch in October.

Border tensions were already high. Arab News reported that a land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone had injured South Korean soldiers. North Korea had also warned Seoul of retaliation if its territory were violated, according to Mint.

On October 12, South Korea's military reported that North Korea had fired multiple ballistic missiles off its east coast. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched from an area around Pyongyang, according to CBS Top Stories.

At least two weapons were believed to have fallen into waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japan Times reported. Japan's Ministry of Defense described both launches as suspected ballistic missiles, according to ABCNews.com.

South Korea's National Security Office convened an emergency security meeting after the launch to review military readiness, Euronews reported.

Coverage dated October 14 described another round of testing, this time involving cruise missiles rather than ballistic missiles. Deutsche Welle reported that North Korean state media said the military had tested cruise missiles designed to be launched from submarines.

The latest reported tests involved two types of submarine strategic cruise missiles fired into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, according to NDTV News. The report relayed a claim that the launches had no adverse impact on neighbouring countries' security; that is not an independent assessment.

The sequence now includes both the October 12 ballistic missile launches reported by South Korea and subsequent cruise missile tests announced by North Korean state media. The Hindu reported that North Korea has been increasing weapons testing as it seeks to expand its arsenal of nuclear-capable systems.