North Korea fires several short-range missiles ahead of APEC summit

North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday morning, South Korea's military said, in a show of force that comes less than a week before leaders from across the Asia-Pacific gather in South Korea for the APEC summit. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles were fired from the North Hwanghae Province at about 8:10 a.m. Korea Standard Time and flew roughly 350 kilometers.

Seoul said it detected multiple missiles and convened emergency meetings of the National Security Office and the Defense Ministry. The military announced it would maintain heightened surveillance and strategic communications with the United States and Japan and said it was prepared for possible additional launches. Japan’s new prime minister directed authorities to share real-time tracking and warning data with Seoul and Washington.

There are differing descriptions of where the missiles landed. South Korean officials reported that some projectiles fell in North Hamgyong Province in the country’s northeast, while other assessments described the launches as directed toward the East Sea. No casualties or damage have been reported. Pyongyang issued no immediate public comment.