North Korea Fires Ballistic Missiles Ahead Of Summit

On Oct. 22 North Korea fired multiple projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles from the Junghwa area in North Hwanghae Province that flew east toward the sea, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said — its first such launch in months. The launch occurred about a week before a high-profile Asia-Pacific leaders' meeting in South Korea where U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders are due to attend, and Seoul said it was sharing information with the U.S. and Japan. The test follows recent displays of a Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile and what Seoul and analysts describe as finalised tests of a solid-fuel engine, developments Pyongyang says extend its strike capabilities. Analysts say the shift to more mobile, solid-fuel designs increases concealment and rapid-launch ability, and Japan's new prime minister said the launch did not affect Japan's security. North Korea reiterated it will not relinquish its nuclear arsenal while signaling conditional openness to talks.