Featured Image Credit: Andrew Harnik / Staff via Getty
North Korea seemed to send an inadvertent message to President Donald Trump this week just before he flew to its neighbor, South Korea.
The Korean peninsula has been a major global trouble spot for decades, with North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons creating constant worry for neighbouring countries and the United States.
Trump's previous meetings with Kim Jong Un briefly raised hopes that things might change, but the underlying issues never went away.
Now, just as world leaders prepare to gather in South Korea for a major international summit, North Korea has launched a series of cruise missiles in what appears to be a carefully timed show of military force.
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North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the country test-fired sea-to-surface cruise missiles on Tuesday (28 October), sending them westward over the Korean peninsula.
According to the official account, the missiles flew for more than two hours (about 7,800 seconds) before accurately hitting their intended targets in North Korea's western waters. The regime claims these weapons will expand the operational range of its nuclear-armed military.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not attend the launch, KCNA said.
President Trump is scheduled to arrive in the South Korean city of Gyeongju today (29 October) to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum alongside other heads of state and business leaders.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed they had detected North Korean launch preparations before the missiles were fired.
In a statement, the Joint Chiefs said South Korea and the US were analysing the weapons and maintaining a combined defence readiness capable of a 'dominant response' to any North Korean provocation.
The launch was reportedly overseen by Pak Jong Chon, a senior military official and vice-chairman of North Korea's Central Military Commission.
Pak stated that 'important successes are being made' in practically developing North Korea's 'nuclear forces' according to plans set by the ruling Workers' Party.
Meanwhile, Trump downplayed the recent launches when speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Japan to South Korea.
“He’s been launching missiles for decades, right?” he said, seemingly exaggerating to Kim Jong Un's leadership.
“We had a really good understanding of each other,” the US President added. "At some point we'll be involved with North Korea [...] We'll, at some point in the not too distant future, meet with North Korea."
These cruise missile launches come just days after North Korea tested short-range ballistic missiles last week. The regime claimed those tests involved a new hypersonic weapon system meant to strengthen its nuclear capabilities.
