SEOUL (Jan 4): North Korea fired several ballistic missiles from its capital Pyongyang towards the sea off its east coast at around 7:50am local time on Sunday, South Korea's military said. The first launch of North Korea's ballistic missiles in two months comes as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will make a state visit to China starting on Sunday, where Seoul has said peace on the Korean peninsula would be discussed. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for more than double the production capacity of tactical guided weapons on his latest visit to a munitions factory on Saturday, North Korea's state media reported. China's President Xi Jinping will host Lee on a state visit starting on Sunday. Lee's agenda with Xi includes persuading China to facilitate dialogue with North Korea, experts said, at a time when North Korea has dismissed Lee's outreach.

Source: The Edge Markets January 04, 2026 02:04 UTC