North Korea has once again thrust itself into the global spotlight with a dramatic display of military might, firing a barrage of ballistic and hypersonic missiles just days before world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, are set to converge on Seoul for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The timing of these launches—North Korea’s first in months—has sent ripples through diplomatic circles and raised urgent questions about security, diplomacy, and the future of regional stability.
According to South Korea’s military, several short-range ballistic missiles were fired from an area south of Pyongyang on October 22, 2025. The projectiles traveled approximately 220 miles in a northeasterly direction but did not land in the sea, and no damage was reported. This latest round of tests marks North Korea’s first such launch since May and comes in clear defiance of a longstanding United Nations Security Council ban on ballistic missile activity, as reported by Associated Press and Reuters.
But this was no ordinary missile test. State-run KCNA described the launch as a successful trial of a “cutting-edge” hypersonic missile system, designed to enhance North Korea’s self-defense capabilities. Hypersonic weapons, which travel at speeds exceeding five times the speed of sound and can alter their trajectory mid-flight, are notoriously difficult to intercept. The technology has been wielded this year by Russia in Ukraine and claimed by Iran in attacks against Israel, underscoring the growing strategic significance of such armaments. KCNA released striking images of a missile streaking through the sky, culminating in a violent plume of smoke and debris upon impact.
Senior military official Pak Jong Chon hailed the test as “clear evidence of the DPRK’s steadily advancing self-defense capabilities,” emphasizing that the exercise was intended to improve “the reliability and potency of strategic deterrence against potential threats.” Notably, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not attend the launch. Some analysts, such as Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, suggested that Kim’s absence might signal an attempt to downplay the provocation, even as the timing pointed squarely at the upcoming summit.
“Still, given its reach, this hypersonic missile is unmistakably aimed at the South,” Yang told AFP, highlighting the proximity of the launch to the high-profile gathering of global leaders in Seoul. The APEC summit, set for October 29, is expected to bring together U.S. President Donald Trump, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, among others.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command wasted no time condemning the launches, issuing a statement on October 22 calling on North Korea to refrain from further destabilizing actions. While officials noted that the launches posed no immediate threat to the United States, they pledged to continue monitoring the region closely. “We reaffirm America’s commitment to defending our regional allies, South Korea and Japan,” the statement read. Coordination among the U.S., Japan, and South Korea has intensified, with all three nations now sharing real-time missile warning data, according to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. “No damage has been reported,” Takaichi confirmed.
The missile launches land squarely in the midst of a flurry of diplomatic activity. President Trump is embarking on his first trip to Asia since returning to the White House. The tour, which begins on October 26 with stops in Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, is expected to focus on trade deals, security, and regional diplomacy. Trump’s first stop will be the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia, where he is set to oversee the signing of a peace accord between Thailand and Cambodia and ink a trade deal with Malaysia. “President Trump is keen to see the more positive results of the peace negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia,” Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.
After Malaysia, Trump will head to Tokyo to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first woman to hold the office. While Japan has largely escaped Trump’s tariffs, the U.S. president is expected to push for a halt to Russian energy imports and encourage increased defense spending. The diplomatic crescendo will occur in Seoul, where Trump may meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping—a potential first since Trump’s return to office. The stakes are high: their meeting could help ease the ongoing trade war between Washington and Beijing, though expectations for a breakthrough remain tempered. “The meeting will be a data point along an existing continuum rather than an inflection point in the relationship,” said Ryan Hass, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
South Korea is reportedly considering awarding Trump the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, its highest honor, during the visit. Meanwhile, North Korea’s missile launches loom large over the summit’s agenda. The possibility of a meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un has been discussed, but Pyongyang has not publicly responded. South Korea has suspended tours of the Joint Security Area at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom until early November, reflecting heightened security concerns. Trump and Kim previously held three summits between 2017 and 2021, but their diplomatic efforts faltered over U.S. demands for North Korean denuclearization.
Kim Jong Un has recently expressed “fond memories” of Trump, suggesting that dialogue could resume if Washington drops its insistence on denuclearization. However, he remains steadfast in refusing to abandon North Korea’s nuclear arsenal in exchange for sanctions relief. “It is not at all inconceivable that Donald Trump could here in Washington, D.C., say: ‘Denuclearization, that’s our goal, that’s our policy’ and then go up to Panmunjom and say: ‘Oh, you know, Kim Jong-un is a nuclear power,’” Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Reuters. “Even if it’s a short meeting, in the broader scheme of things, with all that the United States has to deal with these days, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.”
As anticipation builds ahead of the summit, the world’s eyes are fixed on the Korean Peninsula. Will the missile launches derail diplomatic overtures, or could they serve as a catalyst for renewed engagement? For now, one thing is clear: North Korea has once again reminded the world of its formidable arsenal and its determination to be heard on the global stage.