North Korea test-fired sea-to-surface cruise missiles to the west of the Korean peninsula on Tuesday, state media KCNA said on Wednesday, just as U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders are set to gather in South Korea for regional meetings.

Test comes after Trump expressed his wish to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his visit to South Korea.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui has left Pyongyang to fly to Russia and Belarus. Details: According to KCNA, Choe left from Pyongyang International Airport on a private jet the day before to visit the two countries at the invitation of their foreign ministers.

U.S. President Donald Trump made repeated invitations to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he prepared to visit South Korea this week, with officials in Seoul serving as his cheerleaders. Publicly,

For the families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents decades ago, this week is perhaps the best shot they’ve had in years of substantive progress.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reaffirmed their will to strengthen bilateral ties, the North's state media reported Tuesday, ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's trip to South Korea this week.