• Missile launch comes on day 1 of Japan's 1st female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi

ISTANBUL/ISLAMABAD

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Wednesday morning, as US President Donald Trump is set to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the East Asian nation later this month.

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 around a week 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.

Missile launch on 1st female Japanese premier's 1st day in office

The missile launch by North Korea came on Japan’s first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's first day in office.

She arrived at her office in Tokyo shortly after 9 am (0000GMT), an hour and a half earlier than expected after hearing about the missile firing.

"I instructed the defense and foreign ministers to continue gathering and analyzing information (on the missile launch) to ensure people's safety," Takaichi told reporters, according to Jiji Press.

"My Cabinet is determined to make decisions and progress. We will move forward speedily once we make a decision. I will work hard," she said later.

Takaichi won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership race on Oct. 4, and officially became Japan’s first female prime minister on Tuesday, succeeding Shigeru Ishiba.