Pyongyang says the launches in the Yellow Sea were a show of strength as tensions rise over nuclear weapons and diplomacy stalls.
Missile Tests on the Eve of a High-Stakes Visit
The North Korea missile test came just hours before US President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea, marking another tense moment in the long-running North Korea–US standoff.
According to state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), several sea-to-surface cruise missiles were launched into the Yellow Sea on Tuesday, flying for more than two hours before “accurately striking” their intended targets.
The test was supervised by senior military official Pak Jong Chon, who said the exercise demonstrated “important successes” in strengthening the country’s nuclear deterrence capabilities.
“Our mission is to ceaselessly toughen the nuclear combat posture,” Pak was quoted as saying, adding that the test was meant to “impress our enemies” with North Korea’s advancing strategic capabilities.
South Korea and the US Respond
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that their military detected the launches around 3 p.m. local time (06:00 GMT) on Tuesday. They said South Korea and the United States are jointly analyzing the missiles’ specifications while maintaining “a combined defence readiness capable of a dominant response” to any provocation.
The launches come just days after Pyongyang conducted short-range ballistic missile tests, which it claimed involved a new hypersonic weapons system designed to strengthen its nuclear deterrent.
Regional observers see the timing as deliberate — a signal from Pyongyang that it will continue weapons development despite diplomatic overtures or international sanctions.
Trump’s Visit and Diplomatic Undercurrents
The missile tests coincided with President Trump’s visit to South Korea, where he is attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Gyeongju and scheduled to hold summits with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump has expressed interest in meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his stay, though South Korean officials have downplayed the likelihood of such a meeting.
Despite their past high-profile summits, Kim and Trump have not met since nuclear negotiations collapsed in 2019. Kim has said he holds “fond memories” of Trump but insists that dialogue will only resume if Washington drops its demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons programme.
A Troubled History of Diplomacy
Since the failure of talks in 2019, North Korea has avoided any formal discussions with Washington or Seoul, instead focusing on expanding its arsenal of missiles capable of reaching regional and global targets.
Before flying to South Korea, Trump made a stop in Tokyo, where he met families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago. He assured them that the “US is with them all the way” as they continue to seek answers about their loved ones.
North Korea admitted in 2002 that it had kidnapped 13 Japanese nationals to train spies in Japanese language and culture. Japan maintains that 17 citizens were abducted, and while five were repatriated, the rest remain missing or unaccounted for.
The Bigger Picture
As Trump arrives in Seoul, the North Korea missile tests serve as a stark reminder of the volatile security landscape in East Asia. Despite years of diplomacy, sanctions, and summitry, Pyongyang’s weapons programme continues to advance — and the path back to negotiation looks increasingly narrow.
With tensions rising and dialogue frozen, the world is once again watching the Korean Peninsula for signs of either escalation or breakthrough.