North Korea fired approximately 12 short-range ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan on Thursday, amid unresolved tensions with South Korea over a border landmine incident and stalled efforts to resume military communication, TVC News reported.

The launches were detected from the Wonsan area of North Korea. They came after an explosion involving a landmine along the border injured three South Korean soldiers. A joint investigation by South Korea and the United Nations concluded that North Korea had planted the mines more than a year earlier.

South Korea accused its neighbour of violating the Korean War Armistice Agreement and proposed military talks last week to establish the precise border location and discuss restoring communication channels. Pyongyang has yet to respond to the proposal.

North Korea has also rejected reconciliation efforts by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed the South Korean president’s initiative, while Japan’s Coast Guard separately reported that an object believed to be a ballistic missile appeared to have fallen and urged vessels to remain vigilant.

The latest launches follow other North Korean weapons tests, including a precision-guided torpedo system and an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, both reportedly incorporating artificial intelligence technology. South Korea’s military said it had heightened surveillance against possible additional launches.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s renewed overtures towards Kim have raised concerns in Seoul about South Korea’s role in any future negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear programme. The two countries remain technically at war because the 1950–1953 conflict ended with an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty.