Overview
- South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected several projectiles, assessed as likely short‑range ballistic missiles, launched from Junghwa in North Hwanghae Province around 8:10 a.m. local time.
- The salvo is the first known ballistic launch by Pyongyang since Lee Jae‑myung’s June inauguration, following a period marked by shorter‑range tests in early May.
- The timing precedes the Oct. 31–Nov. 1 APEC summit in Gyeongju, which President Donald Trump is slated to attend after arriving in South Korea on Oct. 29.
- Earlier this month North Korea showcased what it called its most powerful ICBM at a Pyongyang parade attended by senior Russian and Chinese officials.
- In September Kim Jong Un observed the ninth solid‑fuel rocket motor test in a program that suggests future trials, while signaling willingness to resume U.S. contact if denuclearization demands are dropped and continuing to justify sanctioned programs as defensive.