North Korea Launches Cruise Missiles Ahead of Trump's South Korea Visit

North Korea conducted a test launch of sea-to-surface cruise missiles from its western coastline on Tuesday, according to state media reports.

The missile test occurred just one day before US President Donald Trump is scheduled to commence his visit to South Korea.

State news agency KCNA reported on Wednesday that the missiles were launched vertically into the Yellow Sea and remained airborne for more than two hours.

Senior military official Pak Jong Chon supervised the test and declared that "important successes" were being achieved in developing North Korea's "nuclear forces" as a deterrent against potential conflicts, KCNA stated.

Interestingly, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was not present at this missile test, which marks a departure from his usual practice of overseeing significant weapons demonstrations.

KCNA also did not mention Kim in their coverage of last week's hypersonic missile test launches.

President Trump has expressed that he would "love to meet" with Kim during his first visit to the Korean peninsula since beginning his second term.

Their previous encounter took place in 2019 at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

As of now, North Korea has not issued any public response to Trump's invitation for a meeting.