North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a munitions factory producing “multi-purpose precision-guided weapons” on Jan. 3, the Korean Central News Agency reported the following day. (Image courtesy of Yonhap, For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution)
SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s presidential national security team convened an emergency meeting Sunday after North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles into the East Sea, an act Seoul condemned as a violation of United Nations resolutions.
The meeting at Cheong Wa Dae was chaired by Deputy National Security Adviser Lim Jong-deuk and included senior officials from the defense ministry and the military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to the presidential office. Participants assessed the launches and reviewed the country’s military readiness.
“North Korea’s launch of ballistic missiles constitutes a provocative act in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions,” the national security office said in a statement, urging Pyongyang to halt further provocations.
South Korea’s military said it detected the launches at about 7:50 a.m. from an area near Pyongyang. The missiles traveled roughly 900 kilometers, the Joint Chiefs said, adding that South Korean and U.S. authorities were analyzing the technical details.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac speaks during a press briefing at Cheong Wa Dae on Jan. 2, 2026. (Yonhap)
The launches marked North Korea’s first weapons test of the year, following its most recent ballistic missile firing in November. They came hours before President Lee Jae Myung was scheduled to depart for Beijing for summit talks with Xi Jinping, a visit expected to focus in part on North Korea and efforts to revive stalled diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula.
The timing also followed an announcement by Donald Trump that the United States had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in what Washington described as a large-scale military operation, adding to an already volatile regional and global backdrop.
North Korea is likely to feature prominently in Lee’s talks with Xi, as Seoul seeks Beijing’s cooperation in easing tensions with Pyongyang and advancing denuclearization efforts. In recent weeks, Kim Jong-un has been shown touring key industrial sites, including a nuclear-powered submarine facility and a munitions plant producing tactical guided weapons, ahead of the ruling party’s ninth congress, expected later this month.
South Korean officials said they remain on heightened alert, warning that further provocations would undermine regional stability at a sensitive diplomatic moment.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
