North Korea Test-Fires Rodong Ballistic Missiles

On March 26, 2014, North Korea test-fired two medium-range Rodong ballistic missiles, marking its first launch of such missiles since 2009. The test was a direct violation of United Nations resolutions banning Pyongyang from conducting ballistic missile activities. What made the timing significant was that the missile launch happened just hours after the leaders of the United States, South Korea, and Japan met in the Netherlands for discussions on North Korea’s nuclear threat during the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague. The test was widely seen as a deliberate provocation, aimed at demonstrating Pyongyang’s military strength. The Rodong missiles, with a range of approximately 1,300 km (800 miles), are capable of striking South Korea, Japan, and U.S. military bases in the region. The launch heightened regional tensions and prompted strong condemnation from the UN and the international community. This test was part of North Korea’s broader pattern of conducting missile launches during annual U.S.-South Korea military exercises, which Pyongyang viewed as threats. The event further solidified North Korea’s defiance of international pressure and set the stage for continued missile and nuclear advancements in the years that followed.