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North Korea test fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, just days before President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders in South Korea.
South Korea’s military said the missiles, which were the first launched by its neighbor in five months, originated from an area south of Pyongyang and flew about 220 miles toward the northeast. The missiles did not land in the sea, the military added.
Trump is set to leave for Asia at the end of the week in what will be his first trip to the region during his second term. He plans to go to Malaysia first for a regional summit, and then head to Japan before traveling on to South Korea for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.
The president is expected to visit the South Korean city of Gyeongju ahead of the summit for bilateral meetings with leaders including Xi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
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North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong Un is shown left, conducted missile launches just days ahead of a visit by President Donald Trump to South Korea. (China Daily via Reuters/Korea News Service via AP; Ahn Young-joon/AP; Alex Brandon/AP)
South Korea’s military said Wednesday that it remains ready to repel any provocations by North Korea based on its alliance with the United States.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also told reporters that Tokyo was closely communicating with Washington and Seoul, including by sharing real-time missile warning data.
Wednesday’s ballistic missile launches by North Korea were the first of their kind since the country tested short-range systems on May 8 that simulated nuclear counterstrikes against U.S. and South Korean forces.
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A North Korean government photo shows what it says is a new intercontinental ballistic missile called the Hwasong-20 during a military parade on Oct. 10, 2025, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un displayed a new long-range intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade in Pyongyang that included foreign leaders.
The yet-to-be-tested Hwasong-20 was described by the state-owned Korean Central News Agency as having the “most powerful nuclear strategic weapons system.”
The government also displayed shorter-range ballistic, cruise and supersonic missiles at the military parade, which marked 80 years since the founding of the Worker’s Party.
Kim said at the parade that the military “must continue to evolve into an invincible force that eliminates all threats.”
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The foreign dignitaries at the parade included Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam.
Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.