North Korea announced on Wednesday that it had conducted a test launch of sea-to-surface cruise missiles in its western waters, showcasing its advancing military capabilities as U.S. President Donald Trump visits South Korea for a regional summit. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the missiles, launched on Tuesday, successfully flew for over two hours and accurately hit their targets. KCNA stated that these weapons would enhance the operational range of the country’s nuclear-armed military.
According to South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff, the military detected the launch preparations, and the cruise missiles were launched in North Korea’s northwestern waters at approximately 3 p.m. local time on Tuesday. Both South Korea and the United States are currently analyzing the weapons and maintaining a joint defense readiness to swiftly respond to any provocative actions from North Korea.
The North Korean report coincided with an imminent summit between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in Gyeongju, where this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings are being hosted. The tests were overseen by senior military official Pak Jong Chon, who also supervised sailor training on North Korea’s newly developed destroyers, Choe Hyon and Kang Kon, which are considered crucial assets in the country’s naval strengthening efforts.
These missile launches come after North Korea conducted short-range ballistic missile tests last week, involving a new hypersonic system aimed at bolstering its nuclear deterrence capabilities.
While Trump expressed interest in meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his South Korea visit, along with holding a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, South Korean officials have indicated that a Trump-Kim meeting is unlikely. North Korea has refrained from engaging in talks with Washington and Seoul since the breakdown of Kim’s nuclear diplomacy with Trump in 2019.
Kim’s current foreign policy focus is on Russia, as he has recently deployed troops and military equipment to support President Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine, positioning North Korea as part of a united front against the Western nations led by the U.S. Kim has reiterated that he will not resume talks with the United States unless Washington drops its insistence on North Korea’s denuclearization, despite Trump’s repeated hopes for renewed diplomacy.