Seoul: North Korea announced Wednesday that it test-fired sea-to-surface cruise missiles in the Yellow Sea ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Tuesday's missile test came after Trump expressed his wish to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to the South from Oct. 29-30 for the APEC meetings.

According to Anadolu Agency, North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the cruise missiles, which have been modified for ship-based launches, were fired vertically and flew for more than 7,800 seconds along a designated route above the Yellow Sea to hit their target. KCNA did not provide further details, such as how far the missiles traveled. Kim did not oversee the test firing.

Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party of Korea, stated that the country had made progress in putting its nuclear forces on a "practical basis." He emphasized the importance of continuously testing the reliability of strategic offensive means to demonstrate their capabilities to enemies. Pak also highlighted the need to enhance North Korea's combat capability, describing it as a responsible mission and duty.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) confirmed the missile launch was detected at 3 pm the previous day and noted that South Korean and US intelligence agencies are analyzing the specifics, according to Yonhap News Agency. The JCS assured that the military is maintaining a full readiness posture to respond to any North Korean provocation, in collaboration with the United States.

The missile launch occurred while North Korea remained silent regarding Trump's proposal for talks, leading to speculation about the likelihood of a meeting between Kim and Trump.