North Korea fires ballistic missile after rejecting apology demand

North Korea fired a ballistic missile from the port city of Wonsan on October 3, 2026. The launch came one day after the country refused to apologise to South Korea over a border explosion. Three South Korean soldiers were hurt when mines exploded in the DMZ, a narrow strip of land that divides the two countries. South Korea and UN officials said North Korea had placed the mines there. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, called South Korea's demand for an apology "utterly pathetic." She also said North Korea will cut all ties with the South permanently. North Korea has been building up its border defences since Kim Jong Un named South Korea its main enemy in 2024.