North Korea test-fires ballistic missiles ahead of Trump's Asia trip

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea performed its first ballistic missile tests in five months Wednesday, days before U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders are expected to meet in South Korea.

South Korea’s military said it detected multiple short-range ballistic missiles that were launched from an area south of Pyongyang and flew about 350 kilometers (220 miles) toward the northeast. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t release more specific flight details but said the missiles didn’t land in the sea.

The Joint Chiefs added that the South's military remains ready to repel any provocations by North Korea based on its solid military alliance with the United States.

Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that Tokyo was closely communicating with Washington and Seoul, including by sharing real-time missile warning data. North Korea didn’t immediately comment on the launches.

Trump is to leave for Asia at the end of the week in the first trip to the region of his second term. He plans to go to Malaysia first for a regional summit, and then head to Japan before travelling on to South Korea for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, an annual summit meant to promote economic integration and trade.

Trump was expected to visit the South Korean city of Gyeongju ahead of the summit for bilateral meetings with leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, but South Korean officials say Trump won't likely attend APEC's main conference set for Oct. 30-Nov. 1.

Experts earlier said North Korea could conduct provocative missile tests before or during the APEC summit to underscore its commitment to gain recognition as a nuclear weapons state. Experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would need that status to call for the U.N. to lift the economic sanctions punishing it for its weapons program.

Wednesday's ballistic missile launches by North Korea were the first of their kind since the country on May 8 tested short-range systems that simulated nuclear counterstrikes against U.S. and South Korean forces. They were also North Korea's first ballistic missile testing activities since Lee took office in June with a promise to push to restore peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim has been sharply accelerating the pace of weapons tests since his high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019 due to wrangling over the U.S.-led economic sanctions. But last month, Kim suggested he could return to talks if the U.S. drops its demand for North Korea's denuclearization, after Trump repeatedly expressed his hopes for new diplomacy.

Earlier this month, Kim displayed a new intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade attended by Chinese, Russian and other top officials. The parade highlighted Kim’s growing diplomatic footing and his relentless drive to build a reliable arsenal of nuclear missiles targeting the U.S. and its allies.

North Korea's state media said the Oct. 10 parade featured the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile, which it described as the country’s “most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system.” Observers said the new ICBM is designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads to defeat U.S. missile defenses and that North Korea could test-launch it in coming months.

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Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.