Trump Visits South Korea as Kim Jong-un Launches Missiles in Anger

Kim Jong-un departed from Beijing to return to his country on the evening of the 4th. (Video screenshot)

[People News] U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea on October 29, where he is expected to hold a summit with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. On the 28th, North Korea conducted a test launch of a ship-to-ground strategic cruise missile in the Yellow Sea.

According to East Asia Daily, Trump landed at Gimhae International Airport in Busan at 11:32 AM on October 29, Korean time. He will then proceed to Gyeongju, the host city for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, to engage in a U.S.-South Korea leaders' summit with President Lee Jae-myung. The South Korean presidential office noted that this marks the shortest interval between mutual visits by U.S. and South Korean leaders.

The Korean Central News Agency reported that the discussions are expected to centre on significant topics such as U.S.-South Korea tariffs and the modernisation of the alliance. In terms of the U.S.-South Korea trade agreement, South Korea's investment of $350 billion in the U.S. and issues related to profit distribution are also drawing considerable attention.

Reports suggest that there are internal divisions within the South Korean presidential office, with conservative perspectives appearing to dominate, making it challenging to reach a final agreement during this meeting.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is set to commence on the 31st, and Trump is anticipated to hold a highly publicised U.S.-China leaders' summit with Xi Jinping on the 30th.

Furthermore, on the 27th, Trump indicated a willingness to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un while aboard Air Force One en route to Tokyo, raising speculation about the possibility of a 'surprise meeting' with Kim Jong-un.

In response to the meeting between Xi Jinping (Xí Jìnpíng) and Lee Jae-myung (Lǐ Zàimíng), Kim Jong-un (Jīn Zhèng'ēn) launched a missile as a show of force. On October 28, the Missile Bureau of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which oversees missile launches, fired a ship-to-ground cruise missile just before Trump’s visit to South Korea.

The Korean Central News Agency reported that: "These cruise missiles have been modified for ship-based launch and utilise a vertical launch method. After flying for over 7,800 seconds (2 hours and 10 minutes) along a predetermined trajectory over the Yellow Sea, they successfully destroyed the target, although the flight distance was not disclosed.

Park Jeong-taek (Pák Zhèngtiān), Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, commented on the test launch, stating: "In line with the Party Central's strategic intent to continuously expand the scope of war deterrence, we are achieving significant results in the practical application of our nuclear weapons," and added, "By continuing to test the reliability and credibility of various strategic attack methods, we aim to make our opponents aware of their power, which itself extends deterrence and represents a more responsible approach to execution."

It appears that Kim Jong-un is not interested in engaging in talks with Trump; instead, he opted to launch a missile. Is this an expression of anger, or a warning to South Korea and the United States, emphasising North Korea's capabilities? △