Missile Tests Mount on the Korean Peninsula as an Arms Race Intensifies
An arms race is intensifying on the Korean Peninsula, The New York Times reported on October 23, 2026, with both sides trading missile tests. The paper said North Korea is building up its weapons, and it described a North Korean launch of what Pyongyang called a nuclear-capable ballistic missile from the country's east coast.
The peninsula is shared by North Korea and South Korea. A ballistic missile is a rocket that climbs on a high arc before falling toward its target, and it is one of the main weapon types now being tested on both sides.
North Korea's recent tests began in September and have continued through October. Reuters reported that on October 3 North Korea said it had tested a hypersonic missile under the supervision of its leader, Kim Jong Un. Hypersonic missiles travel at very high speed. A later report by WTOP said North Korea had tested hypersonic missile systems of various ranges on September 20 and October 3.
On October 12, North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast, according to Reuters. Two days later, North Korea said, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), its state news agency, that it had tested two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles to check its navy's mission capabilities. Cruise missiles fly lower and more steadily than ballistic missiles. On October 17, North Korea said it had tested a new torpedo system with artificial intelligence capabilities.
On October 21, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea. The same day, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said North Korea will activate anti-South Korea propaganda loudspeakers along its entire border by the end of October. The loudspeakers are a plan that has been announced, and their activation is still ahead.
South Korea also carried out a hypersonic test before North Korea's missile firing in October, according to Deutsche Welle.
A separate report cited by Deutsche Welle warns of a potential transfer of weapons know-how from a Russian drone plant to North Korea.
