North Korea test-fires cruise missiles ahead of Donald Trump’s visit to South Korea

Pic/AFP

North Korea on Wednesday said it had test-fired sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles in the Yellow Sea, just days before US President Donald Trump's visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, news agency ANI reported.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the ship-based missiles, launched vertically, flew for more than 7,800 seconds along a pre-set trajectory over the Yellow Sea and successfully hit their designated target.

KCNA did not specify whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test, and state media outlets such as Rodong Sinmun, which cater to domestic audiences, did not report on the launch.

Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, said the test marked an important step in putting North Korea's nuclear forces on a practical footing.

"It is an extension of exercising the war deterrent and an act of doing so in a responsible manner to continuously verify the reliability of our strategic offensive means and demonstrate their capabilities to the enemy," Pak said, as quoted by ANI. He also stressed the need to steadily enhance the country's combat readiness.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the missile launch at around 3 pm on Tuesday and that details were being closely analysed in coordination with US intelligence agencies.

Experts cited by ANI suggested the missiles were likely Hwasal-type cruise missiles, similar to those displayed during North Korea's annual defense exhibition in Pyongyang earlier this month.

Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the missiles' flight time indicated a range of around 1,500 kilometres, potentially placing parts of Japan and China within reach if launched from the Yellow Sea.

The launch comes amid North Korea's silence on Trump's offer for dialogue. According to ANI, Trump, who will be in Seoul from October 29 to 30, has expressed his willingness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the sidelines of the APEC meetings.

Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Japan to South Korea, Trump downplayed the North Korean launches.

"He's been launching missiles for decades, right?" he said, apparently referring to Kim Jong Un. Trump reiterated he still wants to meet with Kim, whom he met three times in 2018 and 2019 before their diplomacy derailed over disagreements on US-led sanctions against the North.

"We had a really good understanding of each other," Trump said.

(With inputs from ANI)