North Korea has made significant advances in its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in the absence of talks.

North Korea test-fired what appeared to be multiple short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported. The reported missile test comes days before U.S. President Donald Trump is due to visit South Korea for a regional conference.

Experts had said North Korea could conduct provocative missile tests before or during a regional summit in South Korea as it seeks to gain recognition as a nuclear weapons state.

US President Donald Trump stated that he is open to meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his ongoing Asia tour

At a military parade earlier this month, Kim Jong-un unveiled some of his military's newest weapons, including what appeared to be a short-range ballistic system fitted with hypersonic glide vehicles.

South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young told a press conference that North Korea is presumed to possess up to 2,000 kilograms of highly enriched uranium and it is trying to dramatically expand its nuclear arsenal, local Yonhap news agency reported.

Kim Jong Un says North Korea will only engage in talks if the U.S. drops denuclearization demands, creating a diplomatic stalemate with the Trump administration.

The foreign ministers of North Korea and China have agreed to deepen bilateral ties and resist hegemonism, a likely reference to pushing back against the United States

A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea across the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone​ on Sunday, South Korea's military said.

President Donald Trump is going to Asia and will meet face to face with the leaders of Malaysia, Japan, South Korea and China