North Korea fires ballistic missiles days before Trump’s Asia trip

North Korea tested several short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, just days before President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other South Korean leaders.

South Korea’s military said the missiles, which were the first launched by its neighbor in five months, came from an area south of Pyongyang and traveled about 220 miles to the northeast. The missiles did not land at sea, the military added.

Trump is expected to leave for Asia at the end of the week, which will be his first trip to the region during his second term. He plans to first travel to Malaysia for a regional summit, then travel to Japan before heading to South Korea for an Asia-Pacific economic cooperation meeting.

The president is expected to visit the South Korean city of Gyeongju before the summit for bilateral meetings with leaders including Xi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

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North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong Un is pictured at left, carried out missile launches just days before President Donald Trump’s visit to South Korea. (China Daily via Reuters/Korea News Service via AP; Ahn Young-joon/AP; Alex Brandon/AP)

South Korea’s military said Wednesday it remains ready to repel any provocation from North Korea based on its alliance with the United States.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also told reporters that Tokyo was communicating closely with Washington and Seoul, including sharing real-time missile warning data.

Wednesday’s ballistic missile launches by North Korea were the first of their kind since the country on May 8 tested short-range systems simulating nuclear counterattacks against U.S. and South Korean forces.

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A North Korean government photo shows what is billed as a new intercontinental ballistic missile called the Hwasong-20 during a military parade October 10, 2025 in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un deployed a new long-range intercontinental ballistic missile during a military parade in Pyongyang attended by foreign leaders.

The Hwasong-20, which has not yet been tested, was described by the Korean Central News Agency as having the “most powerful strategic nuclear weapons system.”

The government also deployed short-range ballistic, cruise and supersonic missiles during the military parade, which marked 80 years since the founding of the Workers’ Party.

Kim said during the parade that the military “must continue to evolve into an invincible force that eliminates all threats.”

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Foreign dignitaries at the parade included Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Vietnamese Communist Party leader To Lam.

Brie Stimson of Fox News Digital and the Associated Press contributed to this report.