North Korea promotes missile tests as Trump visits South Korea

GYONJU, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Wednesday it had successfully tested cruise missiles, the latest display of its growing military capabilities that came a day before U.S. President Donald Trump visits South Korea.

Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his trip, but he acknowledged that there are difficulties in arranging a meeting with Kim.

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Trump said at the beginning of his meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in the South Korean city of Jeonju: “I know Kim Jong-un well. We get along very well.” “We couldn’t really pinpoint the timing.”

Speaking to reporters earlier aboard Air Force One en route from Japan to South Korea, Trump appeared to downplay North Korea’s recent missile testing activities.

“He’s been launching missiles for decades, hasn’t he?” Trump said.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said its sea-to-surface missiles launched on Tuesday flew for more than two hours before accurately hitting targets in its western waters. She said that the weapons would contribute to expanding the operational scope of the country’s nuclear-armed army.

South Korea and the United States are analyzing weapons and maintaining a joint defense readiness capable of “dominant response” against any provocation by North Korea, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

North Korea’s latest launches followed short-range ballistic missile tests last week that it said included a new hypersonic system designed to bolster its deterrent in nuclear war. These were North Korea’s first ballistic missile tests in five months.

North Korea has not issued a direct response to Trump’s offer because it has avoided any form of talks with Washington and Seoul since Kim’s high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019 over disagreements over US-led sanctions. The two leaders met three times during the US president’s first term, and their third and final meeting was held in the Korean border village of Panmunjom.

Many experts say Kim will likely not return to talks with Trump anytime soon unless he is certain he will receive major US concessions such as comprehensive sanctions relief. But others say North Korea will find it difficult to ignore Trump’s frequent outreach because doing so could make it less important to Trump’s foreign policy agenda.

Trump previously said he would be willing to extend his Asian trip — South Korea is his last scheduled stop — if there was an opportunity to speak with Kim. Trump even suggested that sanctions relief could be discussed if the meeting goes ahead.

Last month, Kim said he would not return to talks with the United States unless Washington dropped its demand for North Korea’s denuclearization.

Kim’s top foreign policy priority now is Russia. In recent months, he has sent thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to help fuel President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, while embracing the idea of ​​a “new Cold War” and positioning his country as part of a united front against the US-led West.

Trump is visiting South Korea for talks with Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit scheduled to open on Friday. Trump is likely to miss the APEC summit.

During his meeting with Trump, Lee, a liberal who supports more reconciliation with North Korea, said he believed Kim did not understand Trump’s sincerity, but that the US president’s own outreach could help promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.