South Korea questions North’s claim about new ‘ultra-modern’ weapon after launches

South Korea’s Defense Ministry cast doubt on North Korea’s claim that two missiles launched over the weekend tested a new combat weapon featuring what leader Kim Jong Un called “ultra-modern” defense technology.

South Korea cast doubt on North Korea’s claim that two missiles launched over the weekend tested what Kim Jong Un called “ultra-modern” technology. North Korea claimed it tested a new combat weapon system on Sept. 20, 2026, by firing two ballistic missiles off its eastern coast. (Korean Central News Agency) South Korea’s Defense Ministry cast doubt Tuesday on North Korea’s claim that two missiles launched over the weekend tested a new combat weapon featuring what leader Kim Jong Un called “ultra-modern” defense technology. North Korea fired two ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, on Sunday, according to the South’s Ministry of National Defense.

The first, a short-range ballistic missile, was fired around 3 p.m., followed about three hours later by a second missile, a ministry spokesman told reporters by text Sunday. South Korea estimated the first missile flew about 280 miles and the second about 373 miles, the spokesman said. Some South Korean government officials must speak to the media on condition of anonymity. North Korea, however, released an image through its state-run Korean Central News Agency showing Kim pointing to a monitor that appears to display a flight trajectory of more than 560 miles. KCNA provided few details about what it called a “new-type weapon,” but said Kim supervised the launches and