North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, watches a test of a new rocket engine at an undisclosed location in North Korea, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Korean Central News Agency, Korea News Service)
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired several suspected short-range ballistic missiles off its northeastern coast Wednesday morning, according to the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
An unspecified number of missiles were launched from North Hwanghae province at 8:10 a.m. and flew about 220 miles, the Joint Chiefs said in a text message to reporters.
The officials did not immediately confirm whether the missiles landed in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, as in previous tests. They said U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies are analyzing the launches and sharing information with Japanese officials.
North Korea has carried out ballistic missile tests on four other occasions this year. In the most recent launch, several short-range weapons flew nearly 500 miles before splashing down into the Sea of Japan.
Wednesday’s launch was the first since South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office in June. The former Democratic Party leader has pledged to take a proactive approach to improving relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The launch also comes a week before President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit several Asian countries, including Japan and South Korea.
South Korea is set to host the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, forum starting Oct. 28 in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, where officials and business leaders from 21 countries will discuss trade.
Trump has previously said he and Kim got along well and expressed interest in meeting the North Korean leader.
After Trump met with Lee at the White House in August, Kim dismissed the idea of abandoning his country’s nuclear weapons and ruled out meeting Lee, according to a Sept. 22 report from the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Kim left open the possibility of a face-to-face meeting with Trump if the U.S. “abandons its absurd obsession on denuclearization,” KCNA reported.
If Washington “acknowledges the reality and seeks peaceful coexistence with us, there is no reason for us not to talk with the U.S.,” Kim was quoted as saying.
North Korea marked the 80th anniversary of its founding on Oct. 12 with a military parade in Pyongyang, where the regime unveiled the Hwasong-20, described by KCNA as its “most powerful” intercontinental ballistic missile.
The previous model — the Hwasong-19 — was first tested on Nov. 1 and flew at a lofted angle for more than 620 miles, setting a new record for the regime, according to KCNA.
