North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on Wednesday, October 22, marking its first such launch in months, just a week before world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, are scheduled to arrive in South Korea for a summit.
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that it had “detected several projectiles, believed to be short-range ballistic missiles.” The missiles were fired around 8:10 am Wednesday (2310 GMT Tuesday) from an area south of the capital Pyongyang. Seoul’s military added that the projectiles flew for approximately 350 kilometers (217 miles).
The launch was the first of its kind since South Korean President Lee Jae-myung took office in June.
The missile launch occurs as US President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in South Korea on October 29 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum. Trump has previously stated his hope to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, possibly this year, following their three high-profile summits during the US president’s first term.
North Korea’s state media has recently indicated that Kim is open to future talks, but with the caveat that the United States must give up its “delusional” demand that Pyongyang relinquish its nuclear arsenal. In September, Kim said he had “fond memories” of previous talks with Trump and was open to another meeting, stating, “If the United States discards its delusional obsession with denuclearisation and, based on recognizing reality, truly wishes for peaceful coexistence with us, then there is no reason we cannot meet it.”
Commenting on the timing of the launch, Park Won-gon, a professor at Seoul’s Ewha Womans University, suggested it was “a response to Trump and his recent moves,” adding that Kim Jong Un is also “asserting his regime’s presence during an event hosted by Seoul, as he’s done before.”
Despite being under successive UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs, Pyongyang has continued to advance its arsenal. Earlier this month, North Korea showcased what it called its “most powerful” intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-20, at a military parade attended by top officials from Russia and China. Pyongyang claimed the strike range of the new missile “knows no bounds.”
In September, Kim oversaw the ninth and final test of a solid-fuel engine used for long-range nuclear missiles, indicating that a full test-fire of a new ICBM could be conducted in the coming months.
North Korea has repeatedly stated that it has no intention of giving up its banned weapons and has instead worked to strengthen ties with old partners China and Russia.