North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles a few days before the APEC summit, provoking reactions from South Korea and Japan.

North Korea conducted ballistic missile tests for the first time in the last five months, launching short-range missiles from a southern area of Pyongyang. These missiles traveled approximately 350 kilometers but did not fall into the sea, according to the South Korean military, which remains prepared to respond to North Korean provocations.

In the context of the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may use these tests to reaffirm his status as a nuclear state. Kim has also recently suggested that he could return to negotiations with the U.S. if Washington drops its denuclearization demands.