Seoul, South Korea
AP
—
North Korea conducted its first ballistic missile test in five months on Wednesday, days before US President Donald Trump and other leaders are scheduled to meet in South Korea.
South Korea’s military said it detected multiple short-range ballistic missiles that were fired from an area south of Pyongyang and flew about 350 kilometers (220 miles) northeast. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff did not provide more specific details of the flight, but said the missile did not hit the ocean.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff added that the South Korean military is ready to repel any provocation by North Korea based on its strong military alliance with the United States.
Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that Japan is in close contact with Washington and South Korea, including sharing real-time missile warning data. North Korea did not immediately comment on the launch.
President Trump is scheduled to depart this weekend for his first trip to Asia in his second term. He will first go to Malaysia for a regional summit, then head to Japan and then South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, an annual summit aimed at promoting economic integration and trade.
Ahead of the summit, President Trump was scheduled to visit Gyeongju, South Korea, to hold bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and other leaders, but South Korean officials said it was unlikely that Trump would attend the APEC plenary session, scheduled for October 30 to November 30. 1.
Experts have previously said North Korea could carry out provocative missile tests before or during the APEC summit to underline its commitment to winning recognition as a nuclear power. Experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will need the position to ask the United Nations to lift economic sanctions punishing his weapons program.
Wednesday’s ballistic missile launch by North Korea was the first since the country tested a short-range system simulating a nuclear counterattack against U.S. and South Korean forces on May 8. These were also North Korea’s first ballistic missile testing activities since President Lee took office in June pledging to promote the restoration of peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Since a high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019 over a spat over U.S.-led economic sanctions, Mr. Kim has sharply accelerated the pace of his weapons tests. But last month, after President Trump reiterated his hopes for new diplomacy, Kim suggested he might return to talks if the U.S. dropped its demands for North Korea to denuclearize.
Earlier this month, Kim unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade attended by Chinese, Russian and other government officials. The parade highlighted Kim’s expansion of his diplomatic base and relentless efforts to build a reliable nuclear missile arsenal to target the United States and its allies.
North Korea’s state media said the Oct. 10 parade featured a Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile, the country’s “most powerful strategic nuclear weapons system.” Observers said the new intercontinental ballistic missile, designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads to defeat U.S. missile defenses, could be tested by North Korea in the coming months.
