North test-fires missiles for sea-to-surface attacks in Yellow Sea ahead of APEC

The area around North Korea’s Gaepung County in North Hwanghae Province and the Imjin River is seen from the Odusan Unification Tower in Paju, Gyeonggi, on Oct. 28. [YONHAP]

 
North Korea test-fired strategic cruise missiles designed for sea-to-surface attacks in the Yellow Sea on Tuesday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Wednesday.
 
The North’s Missile Administration said the cruise missiles, modified for vertical launch from ships, flew along a designated trajectory over the sea for over 7,800 seconds before striking their target.
 

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not attend the test, and the news was not reported by domestic media such as the ruling Workers’ Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun or the Korean Central Broadcasting Station, suggesting a calculated move to control the level of internal exposure.
 
Officials who observed the launch included Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and secretary of the Workers’ Party’s Central Committee; Kim Jong-sik, member of the Central Military Commission and first vice department director of the committee; Jang Chang-ha, general director of the Missile Administration; an unnamed vice commander of Armaments of the Navy of the Korea People’s Army; and shipborne weapons system engineers.
 
The test came as U.S. President Donald Trump is set to visit South Korea on Wednesday ahead of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang. Despite Trump repeatedly expressing his willingness to meet with Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang has yet to respond.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]