North Korea Fires Missiles Ahead of Asia-Pacific Summit

On Wednesday, South Korea’s military reported that North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles, just a week before a significant Asia-Pacific summit scheduled to take place in South Korea.

This marks the first missile launch by North Korea since May, challenging the United Nations Security Council’s ban on such activities.

Interestingly, it’s also the first missile test following the election of Lee Jae-myung as South Korea’s president, who aimed for increased engagement with North Korea.

Lee and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to meet next week at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea. Additionally, President Trump has plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated they detected multiple projectiles, assumed to be short-range ballistic missiles, launched northeast from Pyongyang early in the morning.

Possible Meeting Between Trump and Kim

Discussions between Lee and Trump have included the potential for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the U.S. president’s visit. However, North Korea has not responded to this suggestion.

U.S. officials have considered a trip to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, but nothing is confirmed as of yet.

South Korea has paused inspections of the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom until early November and has not confirmed plans for any meetings with Kim.

Notably, Trump and Kim met three times from 2017 to 2021, exchanging letters that Trump described as “beautiful,” though their diplomatic efforts fell short over disagreements about Kim’s nuclear program.

Recently, Kim reflected on his “fond memories” of Trump, suggesting that discussions could continue if the U.S. moved away from demanding the surrender of nuclear weapons, which North Korea strongly opposes.

Victor Cha, from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted, “It’s not inconceivable that Trump might say, ‘Denuclearization is our goal,’ but then also acknowledge Kim as a nuclear state.”

Even if a short meeting were to occur, some experts argue it could be beneficial, especially considering the challenges the U.S. has faced lately.

Andrew Yeo of the Brookings Institution expressed skepticism about such a meeting happening, citing Trump’s tight schedule during his visit and the preoccupation with his discussions with Xi Jinping.

Details on the Missile Launch

Over the last ten years, North Korea has steadily advanced its missile capabilities, defying various U.N. sanctions, and has tested long-range missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, depending on the launch trajectory.

South Korea’s military indicated that they noticed movement before the launch and tracked the missile, which flew approximately 347 miles. Reports suggest that the missile landed inland.

Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, mentioned that the North Korean missile launch did not pose a threat to Japan’s security, emphasizing that real-time information was shared with the U.S.

The last missile launch by North Korea occurred on May 8, involving multiple short-range missiles from its eastern coast. Additionally, this month, North Korea showcased a new intercontinental ballistic missile during a military parade attended by the Chinese prime minister.