DOMINANT ANGLE
Islamabad sees these launches as an episode in the technological race between the two Koreas, where every hypersonic test prompts an immediate response.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to the South Korean military, several ballistic missiles were fired around 9:20 from the Pyongyang area, one covering more than 900 kilometres (ARY News, Business Recorder).
- 02
Business Recorder notes that this is the fourth North Korean launch in a month, following the one on October 3, and it comes after South Korea's first hypersonic test supervised by President Lee Jae Myung.
- 03
Daily Times reports that South Korean officials have not confirmed whether they were intermediate-range missiles or hypersonic weapons, as trajectory analysis is underway.
ANALYSIS
Islamabad, October 12, 2026. Pakistani media, including ARY News (quoting AFP), Daily Times, and Business Recorder, are treating the North Korean missile launch on Monday, October 12, as a new escalation in the technological rivalry between Pyongyang and Seoul.
The reported facts are consistent. At around 9:20 a.m. local time, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff detected "several ballistic missiles" fired from the Pyongyang region towards the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. One of the missiles traveled more than 900 kilometers. Business Recorder specifies that the missiles appeared to be of different types and that this is the fourth North Korean launch in a month. According to Daily Times, the projectiles fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, without causing damage to ships.
The dominant framework is that of response. Daily Times writes that military analysts see this as "a direct response" to the test of South Korea's first hypersonic glider, which was conducted last Thursday, and concludes that this rapid counter-test "underscores an escalating cycle of military deterrence". Business Recorder quotes a South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson, who says these launches are "a show of force" in response to the success of Seoul's hypersonic missile. The same article notes that it is rare for a South Korean president, in this case Lee Jae Myung, to publicly oversee such a test.
The technical dimension remains open. Daily Times indicates that South Korean officials have not confirmed whether these were intermediate-range missiles or hypersonic weapons, and that experts are analyzing the trajectory. ARY News adds that Seoul and Washington are studying the exact characteristics of the missiles. The October 3 launch, presented by the KCNA agency as a hypersonic missile test supervised by Kim Jong Un, serves as a precedent. ARY also recalls that Kim Yo Jong had boasted about a particular technology.
The domestic political context in Korea is mentioned more briefly. ARY recalls the explosion of mines in the demilitarized zone that injured three South Korean soldiers, with a joint investigation by Seoul and the UN attributing the laying of the mines to the North, which Pyongyang denies, and Kim Yo Jong's judgment calling South Korea's apology demands "despicable". The South Korean National Security Office held an emergency meeting and, according to Business Recorder, condemned violations of UN Security Council resolutions.
The three titles stick to the South Korean and Japanese military statements, without commentary from Islamabad.
