North Korea Tests Trio of Missiles Amid Wang Yi's Pyongyang Trip; China-Japan-South Korea Summit Resumes

In early April 2026, Northeast Asia witnessed a flurry of high-stakes diplomatic and security developments. Between April 6 and 8, North Korea conducted three missile tests within a 48-hour window, including the April 8 launch of the Hwasong-11Ga tactical ballistic missile, which was confirmed to carry a cluster munition warhead capable of destroying targets spanning 6.5 to 7 hectares. South Korean defense experts assessed that Pyongyang's demonstration of cluster warhead technology signals its intention to project “asymmetric warfare capabilities,” drawing from Iran's tactics against U.S. and Israeli forces.

Simultaneously, Seoul announced the reopening of all 12 peace-themed hiking trails near the Demilitarized Zone on April 1, with a tourist train to Dorasan Station resuming operations on April 10. Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek also revealed plans to reduce border troop levels from 22,000 to approximately 6,000, replacing personnel with AI surveillance systems. From April 9 to 10, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Pyongyang in the first such visit by a Chinese foreign minister since 2019.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed the need for “further intensified visits and contacts at different levels” and expressed full support for China's policies regarding the “one-China” principle and a “fair and just multi-polar world.” Earlier, from April 5 to 6, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida convened in Seoul for the first trilateral summit in nearly five years. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to deepen trade cooperation. However, just hours before the summit, Pyongyang announced plans to place another spy satellite into orbit, prompting Yoon and Kishida to jointly call for the launch to be scrapped, though China remained notably silent on the matter.