The launches follow North Korea’s tests of short-range ballistic missiles last week, which it said involved a new hypersonic weapon intended to bolster its nuclear deterrent.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Gyeongju on Saturday (1 November), marking Xi’s first visit to South Korea in 11 years. Lee urged Xi to help revive dialogue with North Korea and support efforts toward denuclearisation.

It was the first reported defection by a North Korean soldier since a North Korean staff sergeant fled to South Korea via the border's eastern section in August 2024. Despite the two border crossings, it isn't common for North Koreans to defect via the land border.

President Lee Jae Myung called for a phased solution that seeks a freeze on North Korea’s nuclear program now and full denuclearization later.

North Korea said on Saturday that denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, which South Korea said will be discussed in a summit with China later that day, is an unrealisable "pipe dream," according to state media KCNA.

Trump told reporters on Friday he would be open to a last-minute meeting with Kim Jong Un, citing their "very good relationship."

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to make greater efforts to persuade North Korea to return to talks, as the two leaders on Saturday agreed on a set of steps to expand their economic and other ties.

North Korea performed its first ballistic missile tests in five months Wednesday, days before U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders are expected to meet in South Korea. South Korea's military detected multiple suspected short-range ballistic missiles launched from an area south of Pyongyang,

South Korea gifted President Trump a golden crown and a coveted medal in a show of flattery during Trump’s visit to the country on Wednesday. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung presented his U.S. counterpart with the Grand Order of Mugunghwa,