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north korea Tested cruise missiles in another display of its growing military capabilities donald trump And other world leaders are ready to gather south korea For regional meetings.
North Korean officials Korean Central News Agency The surface-to-surface cruise missiles were fired from the sea west of the Korean peninsula on Tuesday and flew for more than two hours before accurately striking targets in its western waters, it said. It said these weapons would contribute to expanding the operational area of the country’s nuclear-armed forces.
The missiles were fired vertically and flew for about 7,800 seconds, or about 2 hours and 10 minutes, on a predetermined path to hit the target, KCNA said. North Korean leader kim jong un jong u According to KCNA, were not present.
Mr Trump is scheduled to arrive in the South Korean city of Gyeongju on Wednesday to join other heads of state and business leaders attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum for various summits and meetings. He is also expected to talk to the Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military had detected North Korea’s launch preparations and fired cruise missiles into North Korea’s northwestern waters at about 3 p.m. Tuesday. The joint chiefs said South Korea and the US are analyzing weapons and maintaining joint defense readiness capable of delivering a “major response” against any provocation by North Korea.
KCNA said the tests were attended by senior military officer Pak Jong Chon, who also oversaw the training of sailors aboard North Korea’s newly developed destroyers Choe Hyon and Kang Kon, which leader Kim Jong Un has described as vital assets in his efforts to strengthen the navy.
Referring to the firing, Mr Pak, vice chairman of North Korea’s Central Military Commission, said North Korea was “making significant successes” in developing its nuclear forces practically in accordance with the plan set out by the country’s ruling party, KCNA reported.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Japan to South Korea, Mr Trump downplayed the North Korean launches.
“He’s been launching missiles for decades, hasn’t he?” he said, apparently referring to Kim Jong Un. Mr Trump reiterated that he still wants to meet Mr Kim, whom he met three times before their diplomacy was derailed by disagreements over US-led sanctions against North Korea in 2018 and 2019.
“We had a very good understanding of each other,” he said.
Mr Trump said, “At some point we will engage with North Korea… We will meet with North Korea at some point in the near future.”
South Korean officials have said a Trump-Kim meeting is unlikely.
North Korea has avoided any dialogue with Washington and Seoul since Mr Kim’s high-level nuclear diplomacy with Mr Trump failed in 2019 during the US president’s first term.
Mr Kim’s top foreign policy priority now Russia. In recent months, he has sent thousands of troops and vast amounts of military equipment to help fuel President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, embracing the idea of a “new Cold War” and positioning his country as part of a united front against the US-led West.
Last month, Mr. Kim reiterated that he would not return to talks with the United States unless Washington dropped its demands for North Korea’s denuclearization, after Mr. Trump repeatedly expressed his hope for new diplomacy.