The launches occurred about 60 minutes before Hegseth's arrival, highlighting the tension in the region. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea, the missiles were fired towards the northern part of the Yellow Sea on Monday, November 3, around 4:00 PM local time (10:00 AM MSK).
This event coincided with the first visit by the head of the Pentagon to the border of the two Koreas in eight years, during which he visited the demilitarized zone along with South Korean Defense Minister An Kyung-bak.
The demilitarized zone, stretching 250 kilometers and 4 kilometers wide, serves as a buffer between the two countries. Officially, the parties are in a state of war, as the Korean War of 1950–1953 ended only with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Hegseth arrived in South Korea as part of a two-day visit that concludes his Asian tour, which also includes trips to Japan, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
It is worth noting that on October 29, 2025, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, during a meeting with Donald Trump, the leader of the United States, in the city of Gyeongju before the APEC summit, requested access to nuclear fuel for submarines.
Trump approved the construction of a nuclear submarine for South Korea at shipyards in Philadelphia, which is set to replace the outdated diesel submarines of the country's navy.
Seoul, in turn, agreed to pay $350 billion in exchange for reduced tariffs from the U.S. and increased imports of American oil and gas.
During his visit to Gyeongju, the South Korean president presented Trump with the country's highest award—the Order of Mugunghwa—and gifted him a replica of a golden crown from an ancient royal tomb.
