SEOUL: North Korea test-fired multiple sea-to-surface cruise missiles into its western waters on Wednesday, just hours before US President Donald Trump was set to arrive in South Korea for the final leg of his Asia tour, state media reported.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the missiles flew for more than two hours before “accurately striking their intended targets.” The agency claimed the successful test would help “expand the operational sphere” of North Korea’s nuclear-armed military.
The launch took place shortly before an anticipated summit between President Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Gyeongju, where South Korea is hosting this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings. Trump is also scheduled to hold a separate meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit, according to the Associated Press.
KCNA said senior military official Pak Jong Chon oversaw the test and inspected naval drills aboard North Korea’s newly built destroyers, Choe Hyon and Kang Kon—vessels leader Kim Jong Un has touted as crucial to modernizing the country’s navy.
While President Trump expressed interest in meeting Kim Jong Un during his South Korea trip, officials in Seoul said such a meeting was “highly unlikely.”
North Korea has refused any diplomatic engagement with Washington or Seoul since Kim’s nuclear talks with Trump collapsed in 2019 during Trump’s first term. In recent months, Kim has strengthened ties with Russia, sending troops and military supplies to support President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Analysts say Kim is positioning Pyongyang within a broader “new Cold War” framework—aligning with Moscow and Beijing in opposition to the US-led Western alliance.
Last month, Kim reiterated that he would not resume talks with Washington unless the US dropped its demand for denuclearisation—despite Trump’s repeated public calls for renewed diplomacy.
