North Korea announced on Wednesday that it had launched sea-to-surface cruise missiles into its western waters, showcasing its advancing military capabilities while U.S. President Donald Trump visits South Korea for a regional summit. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) of North Korea reported that the tests conducted on Tuesday were successful, with the missiles flying for over two hours and accurately hitting their targets. KCNA stated that these missiles would help enhance the operational range of the nation’s nuclear-armed military.
South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff confirmed that they had detected the launch preparations and observed the cruise missiles being fired in North Korea’s northwestern waters around 3 p.m. local time on Tuesday. They mentioned that South Korea and the United States were jointly analyzing the weapons and maintaining a strong defense readiness to swiftly respond to any provocation from North Korea.
The North Korean announcement came just before an anticipated summit between President Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in Gyeongju, where this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings are being held.
The KCNA reported that the missile tests were overseen by senior military official Pak Jong Chon, who also inspected the training of sailors on North Korea’s new destroyers Choe Hyon and Kang Kon, which leader Kim Jong-un has highlighted as crucial assets in bolstering the navy.
These recent launches by North Korea followed last week’s tests of short-range ballistic missiles involving a new hypersonic system aimed at reinforcing its nuclear war deterrent capability.
While there was interest from Trump in meeting with Kim during his South Korea visit, where he is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping as well, South Korean officials have expressed doubts about a Trump-Kim meeting materializing. 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 Jong-un’s primary foreign policy focus is now on Russia, with recent deployments of troops and military equipment to support President Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine, positioning North Korea as part of a united front against the West. Kim has reiterated that he will not resume talks with the U.S. unless Washington drops its insistence on North Korea’s denuclearization, despite Trump’s repeated calls for new diplomatic efforts.
