North Korea has responded to US President Donald Trump’s repeated offers to meet with leader Kim Jong-un not with words, but with a show of force — a cruise missile test in the Yellow Sea. The move, experts say, signals Pyongyang’s rejection of renewed diplomacy.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the North tested sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles on Tuesday, reportedly modified for ship-based launches. The test came just hours before President Trump arrived in South Korea for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Gyeongju and talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump has offered multiple times to meet Kim, calling North Korea a “sort of nuclear power” and hinting at possible sanctions relief in exchange for progress in talks. However, Pyongyang’s silence and subsequent missile test suggest disinterest in dialogue.

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University, said the launch “reaffirms Kim’s rejection of Trump’s tenacious meeting offers,” reducing the likelihood of any near-term summit.

North Korea’s growing alignment with Russia and improving relations with China have eased its isolation, giving it less incentive to seek negotiations with Washington. While Kim has said he is open to talks if the US drops its denuclearization preconditions, analysts believe Pyongyang may only reconsider if Washington makes significant concessions, such as suspending joint military drills with Seoul.

The window for a potential Trump-Kim meeting remains narrow, experts added, lasting only until the US president departs the Korean Peninsula later this week.