North Korea Launches Ballistic Missiles as Seoul Tightens Drone Probe and Travel Bans

Updated 2026-01-27 08:43:58+00:00 (73 articles)

Missile launch confirmed by Japan and South Korea On 27 January, Japanese and South Korean defense ministries reported that North Korea fired one or more suspected ballistic missiles toward the sea, though no range or impact data were released [1]. The launch was detected by Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office and Defense Ministry and by South Korea’s Defense Ministry, which also noted an unidentified projectile off its east coast [1]. No immediate retaliation or further launches were reported that day.

Launch timed to amplify anti‑South rhetoric before party congress Analysts say the missile test aims to heighten anti‑South sentiment ahead of the Workers’ Party congress expected in late January or February, where Kim Jong Un may embed a hostile “two‑state” system into the party constitution [1]. Pyongyang’s recent accusations that Seoul conducted surveillance drones in September and on 4 January provide the pretext for the missile display [1]. The timing suggests a coordinated political strategy rather than a purely technical demonstration.

Recent hypersonic, cruise and submarine tests underscore capability push Earlier in January, North Korea conducted hypersonic missile test flights, which state media linked to strengthening the nuclear deterrent [1]. December saw the firing of long‑range strategic cruise missiles and the unveiling of a nuclear‑powered submarine prototype [1]. These successive tests illustrate a broader weapons‑development program that the missile launch intends to showcase.

Seoul bars three civilians from overseas travel over drone allegations On 23 January, South Korean police and military placed three civilians—including graduate student Oh, drone builder Jang, and a third associate—under travel bans as part of a probe into alleged drone flights over North Korea in September and 4 January [3][4][5]. Authorities allege violations of the Aviation Safety Act and the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act, and have seized a partially assembled drone and other equipment [3][4][5]. The travel bans mark the first formal restriction in the expanding investigation.

Joint raids target suspects’ homes, university startup and media outlets On 21 January, a coordinated police‑military team executed search and seizure warrants at the homes and offices of the three suspects, focusing on a drone manufacturing startup founded at a Seoul university and on two North‑Korea‑focused online news sites operated by Oh [7][8][9][10][11]. Oh publicly claimed he piloted the drones to assess radiation at a North Korean uranium facility, a claim investigators are scrutinizing given his prior work at the Yoon presidential office [2][7][8]. The raids did not include the news outlet offices, but investigators seized an object wrapped in white cloth from the startup’s lab.

Sources (11 articles)

Timeline

2006 – Kim Jong‑il visits Shenzhen, signalling an early sign of North Korean willingness to explore economic reforms[21].

2007 – North Korea returns a South Korean fishing boat that entered its waters, showing a rare gesture of de‑escalation[21].

Dec 2018 – Kim Jong Un agrees to a Seoul visit after the Moon‑Jae in summit, but cancels a day before the announcement over security concerns, underscoring the fragility of inter‑Korean rapprochement[5].

2020 – A South Korean government employee dies in the Yellow Sea, a tragedy later cited in diplomatic rhetoric about past incidents[11].

2021 – The 8th Workers’ Party Congress outlines “five core tasks,” including missile development, setting the strategic backdrop for later weapons tests[21].

Oct 2022 – North Korea conducts its “final” hypersonic missile test, demonstrating an advanced rapid‑strike capability that precedes later missile launches[21].

Oct–Nov 2024 – South Korean frontline drone units mobilize 59 troops to dispatch 18 drones carrying anti‑Pyongyang leaflets across the DMZ, a covert operation later linked to a proposed martial‑law pretext[10].

Dec 2024 – The covert drone operation is intended to create a pretext for a December martial‑law declaration, a plan that later becomes central to the Yoon Suk‑Yeol trial[10].

Sept 2025 – North Korea accuses South Korea of a drone incursion from Paju that enters Phyongsan County and is downed, heightening tensions ahead of the 2026 party congress[23][22].

Jan 4 2026 – North Korea alleges a South Korean drone flies over Ganghwa County and is forced down near Kaesong, describing the act as a sovereignty breach and warning of a “high price” for provocation[23][24].

Jan 9 2026 – Pyongyang warns of counter‑measures in response to the alleged Jan 4 incursion, signaling possible escalation[24].

Jan 10 2026 – Kim Yo‑jong publicly demands that Seoul apologize for the drone “sovereignty violation” and dismisses Seoul’s peace overtures as “day‑dreams”[12][13].

Jan 11 2026 – The North Korean Olympic Committee announces a boycott of the Seoul Olympics, underscoring the broader diplomatic fallout from the drone dispute[21].

Jan 11 2026 – South Korea’s Cheong Wa Dae reiterates it has no intention to provoke the North and pledges a joint police‑military probe into the drone claims[20].

Jan 12 2026 – President Lee Jae Myung orders a swift joint police‑military investigation into the alleged drone incursions, emphasizing de‑escalation while the probe proceeds[18].

Jan 12 2026 – A joint team of about 30 officials launches a formal probe into North Korea’s drone accusations, examining possible civilian origins and noting the drones resemble a Chinese Skywalker model[16][14].

Jan 12 2026 – Defense Minister Ahn Gyu‑back says he is open to a joint inter‑Korean probe through the United Nations Command if North Korea returns the drones[15].

Jan 12 2026 – The Seoul Central District Court holds the first closed‑door hearing in former President Yoon Suk‑Yeol’s trial on “aiding the enemy” charges tied to the 2024 drone dispatch, with prosecutors alleging the operation was meant to provoke retaliation for a martial‑law pretext[17].

Jan 13 2026 – Kim Yo‑jong reiterates the demand for an apology and warns that repeated provocations will force Seoul to “pay a price it cannot handle”[12].

Jan 14 2026 – Unification Minister Chung Dong‑young says Seoul will take “corresponding action” after the military‑police fact‑finding team finishes its investigation, and hints at a possible apology for the 2024 drone dispatch pending a court ruling[11].

Jan 15 2026 – Internal documents reveal the 2024 covert drone operation involved 59 troops and 18 leaflets, and lead to the removal of former Defense Counterintelligence chief Yeo In‑hyung for alleged collusion with former President Yoon[10].

Jan 20 2026 – President Lee orders a comprehensive probe into the civilian accused of piloting a drone into North Korea, describing the act as “unacceptable” and demanding stern measures[8][9].

Jan 20 2026 – Police raid the offices and homes of three suspects linked to the alleged drone flight, intensifying the investigation into civilian involvement[7].

Jan 23 2026 – South Korean authorities place three civilians under overseas travel bans as part of the ongoing probe into alleged drone flights over North Korea, highlighting the investigation’s expanding scope[2].

Jan 26 2026 – Graduate student Oh appears before police after publicly claiming he flew drones to monitor radiation at a North Korean uranium site, adding a new civilian dimension to the drone controversy[6].

Jan 27 2026 – North Korea launches suspected ballistic missiles toward the sea, timing the test to showcase weapons progress ahead of the Workers’ Party congress and to reinforce anti‑South sentiment amid the drone dispute[1].

Late Jan – Feb 2026 (expected) – The Workers’ Party congress convenes, likely embedding Kim Jong Un’s “two‑state” system declaration into the party constitution for the first time in five years, a political milestone that the missile launch aims to precede[1].