On Sept. 28, 2024, North Korea tested a new type of short-range ballistic missile equipped with a heavy conventional warhead, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA/Yonhap)
North Korea test-fired short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Wednesday in what appeared to be a calculated act aimed at the leaders of the US, China, and Japan, who are set to gather in Gyeongju, South Korea, next week for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on Oct. 31 to Nov. 1.
On Wednesday, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that it had “detected several short-range ballistic missiles launched northeast from the region of Chunghwa, North Hwanghae Province, at approximately 0810 hours.”
The Joint Chiefs also stated that the North Korean missiles traveled for “approximately 350 kilometers,” or 217 miles.
The focus of attention with the latest North Korea missile launch is on its timing.
While the North test-fired ballistic missiles on four occasions in the first half of 2025 alone, it had not done so since Lee Jae Myung took office as president of South Korea on June 4, with the only test launch involving a surface-to-air missile on Aug. 23.
The fact that Pyongyang chose a date nine days before the opening of the APEC summit to fire off a volley of ballistic missiles suggests strongly that its aim was to assert its presence ahead of a major political event south of the DMZ that is expected to include South Korea-China and South Korea-US summits.
The North’s aim was also evident in the missiles’ short range. The choice to test-fire missiles with a range of 350 km — rather than a medium- or long-range weapon such as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM, range 5,500+ km) capable of threatening the US — suggests it was seeking to avoid provoking Washington.
ICBM test launches are considered a key variable in the Korean Peninsula’s political situation, with the last one involving a Hwasong-19 missile test-fired on Oct. 31 of last year.
North Korea has conducted four test launches of ballistic missiles since Donald Trump returned to office as US president in January. All involved missiles with ranges of 1,000 km or under.
The location and direction of the launch have also attracted attention. While the North has launched most of its past missiles from its western region toward the West Sea, the latest ones were fired from its eastern region toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.
The past locations were selected because there would be no civilian losses if a problem with the body caused the missile to crash, while the lack of any obstructions to the sightline allowed for easier observation of the flight path.
But the latest missiles were launched from the county of Chunghwa in North Hwanghae Province, which is located south of Pyongyang. They passed northeast over land before landing in the East Sea.
The decision to risk an inland flight path suggests Pyongyang’s aim was to show off the precision of its missiles.
The South Korean presidential office held an emergency national security situation review meeting in response. In a press release issued after the test launch, it stressed that the “National Security Office has been observing the situation closely, following the launch situation in real time and reporting this situation to the president.”
It also said that the “response by the National Security Office, Ministry of National Defense, and military was examined and the potential impact on the Korean Peninsula situation was assessed through an emergency national security situation review meeting.”
The presidential office’s press release on Wednesday did not include any use of the words “provocation” or “condemn.” The Joint Chiefs’ announcement to the press included only the word “provocation.”
In contrast, presidential office press releases in response to North Korean ballistic missile launches during the preceding Yoon Suk-yeol administration repeatedly included statements about “strongly condemning acts of clear provocation that seriously threatened the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.”
By Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter; Shin Hyeong-cheol, staff reporter
