North Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles as Trump prepares for summit in South Korea

This ballistic missile launch marks the first time in five months, since South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung assumed office in June.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missiles were launched at around 8.10 am local time on Wednesday (2310GMT Tuesday) from Junghwa in North Hwanghae Province, traveling northeastward toward the East Sea.

The North’s latest test follows short-range ballistic and cruise missile launches on May 8 and May 22. This marks its fifth ballistic missile launch of this year.

“Our military has stepped up monitoring in preparation for possible additional launches and is maintaining a firm readiness posture while sharing information with the United States and Japan,” the JCS said in a statement.

The latest launch also comes just a few days before South Korea hosts the APEC summit, a bloc of 21 member economies, to be held in the southeastern city of Gyeongju on Oct. 31-Nov. 1.

A meeting of the National Security Council was convened in Seoul to discuss Pyongyang's latest launch.

The presidential office said the meeting was attended by national security and defense officials and reviewed the military's response measures and assessed the potential impact on the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Wednesday on the launch that Beijing's "position and policy on the Korean Peninsula issue remain consistent and stable concerning the relevant launch activities," adding that there were no "new comments" to make.

As Trump embarks on a three-nation Asia tour, including Malaysia and Japan, later this week, speculations are high that he may meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the truce village of Panmunjom along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas.

Seoul has also suspended field trips to Panmunjom, reportedly at the request of the UN Command, which oversees the DMZ.

Government sources in Seoul have described "the suspension as one of the signs of preparations for a potential US-North Korea meeting," Yonhap News reported early this week.