North Korea Launches Ballistic Missiles Ahead of South Korea APEC Summit

North Korea conducted multiple short-range ballistic missile launches in late October 2025, just days before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, where U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were expected to attend. These missile tests mark North Korea's first such launches since May and serve as a provocative act challenging U.N. Security Council bans, complicating diplomatic efforts and regional security. The missile flights, detected by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and analyzed jointly with U.S. forces, traveled approximately 350 kilometers and landed inland without causing casualties. The launches heightened security concerns ahead of the summit and raised potential impacts on South Korea's tourism industry, as travelers reconsider visits amid rising tensions. South Korea's newly elected president, Lee Jae Myung, who campaigns for engagement with Pyongyang, faces pressure to balance dialogue with deterrence while managing relations with both Washington and Beijing. Pyongyang's actions underscore its intent to assert influence in regional geopolitics and influence U.S. diplomacy on its own terms.