North Korea Fires Cruise Missiles as Trump Lands in South Korea

Just hours before US President Donald Trump’s plane touched down in South Korea, North Korea decided to remind the world that its deterrent isn’t collecting dust. Pyongyang test-fired several sea-to-surface cruise missiles into its western waters on Tuesday, according to state media, a move that felt more like a message than a military exercise.

KCNA reported on Wednesday that the missiles, launched in the Yellow Sea, flew for over two hours before “accurately striking targets.” Top military official Pak Jong Chon oversaw the operation and declared that “important successes” were being made in developing North Korea’s “nuclear forces” as a war deterrent.

“The test was aimed at assessing the reliability of different strategic offensive means and impress their abilities upon the enemies,” Pak said. “It is our responsible mission and duty to ceaselessly toughen the nuclear combat posture.”

Seoul’s joint chiefs of staff said they detected the launch preparations and confirmed that the cruise missiles were fired at around 3pm local time on Tuesday. South Korea and the US, they added, were jointly analysing the tests while maintaining a “dominant response” posture against any provocation.

The timing was no coincidence. North Korea’s launch came just before an expected summit between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Gyeongju, where South Korea is hosting this year’s APEC meetings. The North has a long tradition of marking high-profile international events with well-timed tests, and this one checked every box.

It followed a series of short-range ballistic missile launches last week that Pyongyang claimed were part of trials for a new hypersonic system designed to “strengthen its nuclear war deterrent.”

Trump, meanwhile, has kept up his familiar mix of optimism and spectacle. Before heading to Seoul, he met in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and relatives of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago, telling them that “the US is with them all the way.”

He’s also hinted at the possibility of meeting Kim Jong Un during his stay in South Korea, though Seoul’s officials have poured cold water on that idea. Kim, for his part, recently said he still holds “fond memories” of Trump, a classic North Korean blend of flattery and defiance, but added that he would only be open to talks if Washington drops its insistence on denuclearisation.

Since their failed 2019 summit, Kim has effectively ghosted Washington, refusing all talks while pushing forward with weapons development.