A North Korean warship launches cruise missiles during a test in the Yellow Sea. Image: UPI.
(The Post News)– North Korea fired several sea-to-surface cruise missiles into the nation’s western seas on Tuesday, just a few hours ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to South Korea to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The firing is a reflection of Pyongyang’s determination to show off its growing military capabilities as world leaders gather in the region.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the test was carried out in the Yellow Sea and took more than two hours. North Korea announced the missiles had successfully struck their targets and expanded the “operational sphere” of the country’s nuclear-capable army.
North Korea Touts Military Advances
Senior military leader Pak Jong Chon directed the launch, hailing it as a key move to boost North Korea’s nuclear combat power. Pak also visited newly constructed destroyers Choe Hyon and Kang Kon, which Kim Jong Un has described as crucial to the renovation of the navy. “It is our responsibility and obligation to continue to enhance the nuclear combat stance,” Pak said.
KCNA informed that the test served to verify the credibility of various strategic offensive weapons and demonstrate that North Korea could “impress their abilities upon the enemies.”
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) acknowledged that it had detected the launch at about 3 p.m. Tuesday. The JCS indicated South Korean and U.S. intelligence organizations are studying the specifications of the missile. It further indicated that both militaries have a “dominant response posture” available to retaliate against any North Korean provocation.
The timing of the missile test was strategic. President Trump arrived in South Korea on Wednesday to attend the APEC summit in Gyeongju. He is to meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump expressed interest in a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but South Korean officials reported that the meeting is not likely. Kim has avoided direct contact with Seoul and Washington since his 2019 nuclear talks with Trump collapsed without a deal.
Over the months, Kim has drawn very close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, sending troops and weapons to support Moscow’s Ukrainian invasion. Pyongyang now increasingly frames this alliance as being part of a “new Cold War” against the U.S.-led Western coalition.
Kim threatens not to return to the negotiating table with Washington until the United States gives up on its insistence that North Korea be denuclearized. Despite repeated calls by Trump for fresh talks, North Korea insists on the development of its weapons capabilities.
Missile Launch Underscores Strategic Messaging
Experts describe the missile test as beyond a test of technology; it was a political statement. By testing its long-range cruise missile capabilities on the day President Trump arrived in Seoul, Pyongyang sought to assert its influence and remind global leaders that it cannot be ignored on the world stage.
North Korea conducted the latest test following a series of tests of short-range ballistic missiles last week that used a new hypersonic system, according to reports. The regime labelled the technology as enhancing its nuclear deterrence against “hostile forces.”
Before he travelled to South Korea, Trump sat in Tokyo with family members of Japanese citizens who had been abducted by North Korea years ago. He promised ongoing U.S. support in resolving the issue of the abductions, which has been a main source of disagreement between Pyongyang and Tokyo.
Japan asserts that 17 percent of its citizens were kidnapped by North Korean agents to train spies in Japanese culture and language. North Korea admitted to abducting 13 people in 2002 but claimed that some had died. Tuesday’s test was North Korea’s first cruise missile test in five months, further evidence of Kim’s efforts to demonstrate military readiness and defy international pressure.
As world leaders converge on Gyeongju to take part in the APEC summit, Pyongyang’s timing of the test comes as a stern reminder that Northeast Asian diplomacy is still a complicated and difficult subject and that North Korea’s military program continues to shape regional security politics.
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