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In another display of its growing military capabilities, North Korea announced that it fired sea-to-surface cruise missiles into its western waters on Wednesday ahead of US President Donald Trump’s travel to South Korea for a regional summit. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency described Tuesday’s tests as a success, saying the missiles flew for more than two hours before accurately striking targets. The agency further claimed that the weapons would contribute to expanding the operational sphere of the country’s nuclear-armed military. South Korea’s military didn’t immediately confirm whether it had detected the tests. The North Korean report came hours before an expected summit between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the city of Gyeongju, where South Korea is hosting this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings. KCNA said the tests were attended by senior military official Pak Jong Chon, who also inspected training for sailors aboard North Korea’s newly developed destroyers Choe Hyon and Kang Kon, which leader Kim Jong Un has described as key assets in his efforts to strengthen the navy. North Korea’s latest launches followed short-range ballistic missile tests last week that it said involved a new hypersonic system designed to strengthen its nuclear war deterrent. Trump has expressed interest in meeting with Kim during his stay in South Korea, where he is also scheduled to hold a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, South Korean officials have said a Trump–Kim meeting is unlikely. North Korea has shunned any form of talks with Washington and Seoul since Kim’s high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019 during the American president’s first term. Kim’s top foreign policy priority is now Russia. In recent months, he has sent thousands of troops and large quantities of military equipment to help fuel President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, while embracing the idea of a “new Cold War” and positions his country as part of a united front against the US-led West. Last month, Kim reiterated he wouldn’t return to talks with the United States unless Washington drops its demand for North Korea’s denuclearisation, after Trump repeatedly expressed his hopes for new diplomacy. (With agency inputs)
