North Korea Ends 5-Month Pause With Missile Launch Days Before APEC Summit; Is Nation’s ‘Most Powerful’ Hwasong-20 Next? | World News
North Korea launched a ballistic missile eastward on Wednesday, the first such test in five months, according to the South Korean military. The test took place just days before South Korea hosts leaders of the world’s major economies at a regional summit attended by US President Donald Trump.
Missile Launched Before APEC Summit
The launch was confirmed by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), which said the ballistic missile flew east and splashed into the sea off the Korean Peninsula. Test details, including the distance or type flown, were not immediately available, but North Korea’s test launches traditionally take place in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
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The timing of the launch has been described as highly provocative because South Korea will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju between October 30 and November 1. The biennial conference aims to promote economic integration and trade and does not have any military aspects.
US President Donald Trump is also reportedly visiting Gyeongju for bilateral talks with other leaders such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, but officials indicate that Trump will not attend the main APEC forum.
Analysts say the test was likely a strategic ploy by Pyongyang to highlight its status as a nuclear-armed state ahead of a high-profile diplomatic meeting. Analysts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants the status to encourage the United Nations to lift punitive economic sanctions.
Wednesday’s test was the first ballistic missile test since May 8, when North Korea conducted short-range tests mimicking nuclear retaliation against U.S. and South Korean forces. This is also the first missile activity since South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office in June after pledging to push for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Kim Continues to Carry Weapons Between Diplomatic States
North Korea’s rate of weapons testing has accelerated significantly since Kim Jong Un’s risky nuclear diplomacy with President Trump broke up in 2019 over disagreements over sanctions relief.
But last month, after President Trump repeatedly signaled his optimism about a new round of diplomacy, Kim appeared to express readiness to resume talks if the United States abandoned its call for denuclearization.
Earlier this month, Kim showcased his growing arsenal at a massive military parade in Pyongyang attended by senior Chinese, Russian and other foreign leaders. The parade on October 10, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Labor-led government, unveiled the recently developed Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which state media said was the country’s “most powerful nuclear strategic weapons system”. Analysts think this ICBM will be capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads, likely to defeat U.S. missile defenses, and could be test-launched in the near future.
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