North Korea continues its military provocations, timing them with South Korea’s major diplomatic events, including the Gyeongju Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and the joint visit of U.S. and South Korean defense ministers to the Joint Security Area (JSA).
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported on November 4 that North Korea fired several rounds from multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) into the northern West Sea at approximately 1600 hours on November 3. These are believed to be 240mm MRLs, capable of striking targets up to 40 km away using standard munitions, or up to 60 km with extended-range projectiles. If launched from Kaesong, these rockets could potentially reach South Korean frontline units and the greater Seoul metropolitan area.
During North Korea’s rocket launch, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and South Korean Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik were preparing for their meeting at the JSA, the first such encounter in eight years. Some analysts suggest that North Korea is closely monitoring U.S.-South Korea diplomatic and security engagements, strategically timing its provocations to coincide with these events.
Intelligence sources indicate that North Korea also launched several rounds from MRLs in the northern West Sea at approximately 1500 hours on November 1, just minutes after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping began their summit. These projectiles reportedly traveled about 30 km.
Prior to the Gyeongju APEC summit, North Korea conducted missile launches on October 22 and 28. On October 22, it fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs), believed to be variants of the Hwasong-11 series, in a northeastern direction from the Junghwa area in North Hwanghae Province. This marked the first ballistic missile launch since President Yoon took office and was particularly noteworthy as the first provocation following the appointment of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
On October 28, just a day before former U.S. President Donald Trump expressed interest in meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang test-fired a surface-to-surface strategic cruise missile from its western coast. The Defense Intelligence Agency assessed these provocations as North Korea’s attempt to demonstrate its capabilities against South Korea and draw international attention to its military presence in the region.