---
title: 'North Korea Launches Ballistic Missiles Ahead of Trump’s East Asia Trip'
url: 'https://thediplomaticinsight.com/north-korea-launches-ballistic-missiles-2/'
author: 'Monitoring Desk'
date: '2025-10-22T09:46:36+05:00'
categories:
  - 'Asia'
  - 'East Asia'
  - 'World'
---

# North Korea Launches Ballistic Missiles Ahead of Trump’s East Asia Trip

**Seoul (TDI):** North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, just one week before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, where US President Donald Trump is set to meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

This marks North Korea’s first missile launch since May and comes in defiance of a United Nations Security Council resolution banning such tests.

South Korea’s military confirmed that the missiles were fired from an area near Pyongyang and traveled about 350 km (217 miles) in a northeasterly direction, according to Reuters.

These missiles fell inland, said a military official, with no immediate threat to Japan’s security. Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, stated that there was no impact on Japan, and Tokyo is coordinating closely with the US on real-time information about the launch.

**Read More: [North Korea Fires Multiple Ballistic Missiles](https://thediplomaticinsight.com/north-korea-fires-multiple-ballistic-missiles/)**

The missile launch coincides with President Trump’s upcoming visit to South Korea, where he is expected to attend the APEC summit. Trump and President Lee have discussed the possibility of meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during Trump’s visit, but Pyongyang has yet to comment on the proposal. Although discussions have been ongoing, US officials have not confirmed whether a visit to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) would take place.

Trump’s previous attempts at diplomacy with Kim Jong Un included three high-profile summits during his first term from 2017 to 2021, with the US president calling their exchange of letters “beautiful.” However, these talks broke down over demands for North Korea to denuclearize, a precondition Kim has repeatedly rejected.

**Read More: [North Korean missiles landed in Ukraine, says UN experts](https://thediplomaticinsight.com/north-korean-missiles-landed-in-ukraine-says-un-experts/)**

In September, Kim stated that while he had “fond memories” of Trump, he would not give up his nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief.

While a Trump-Kim meeting is not entirely out of the question, experts suggest that the logistics and timing of Trump’s schedule, especially with his meetings with Xi Jinping, may make it unlikely.