South Korea's military says it detected North Korea firing several short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea. North Korea has launched missiles in two consecutive days. Wednesday's launches came hours after a senior North Korean official issued a statement ridiculing South Korean hopes for warmer ties. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from an area near the eastern coastal town of Wonsan. Seoul says North Korea also fired an additional ballistic missile toward its eastern waters later Wednesday, without giving further details. The South's military was also analyzing a projectile launched from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on Tuesday.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping told Asia-Pacific leaders his country would help to defend global free trade as U.S. President Donald Trump snubbed an annual economic regional forum. Xi took center stage at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that began Friday in the South Korean city of Gyeongju, as Trump left the country a day before the summit opened after reaching some deals with Xi meant to ease their escalating trade war. This year's two-day APEC summit has been heavily overshadowed by the Trump-Xi meeting that was arranged on the sidelines.

A senior North Korean diplomat is reiterating that his country won't give up its nuclear weapons despite numerous international demands to do so. Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly meeting of world leaders, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong characterized his country's nuclear weapons as crucial to keeping a "balance of power" with South Korea. Kim amplified his country's longstanding complaints about U.S.-led military exercises with South Korea and Japan. He complained about "growing threat of aggression" from Washington and its allies. South Korea has said the exercises were necessary to counter North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats. Numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions have demanded that the North stop building nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will make a rare trip abroad next week to attend a military parade in the Chinese capital, North Korean and Chinese state media said Thursday. With Russian President Vladimir Putin also coming for the parade, the event will underline the three-way alignment among Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang. China will hold the parade on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. No leaders from the United States or major Western European countries are expected, in part because of their differences with Putin over the war in Ukraine. China borders North Korea and is its closest ally.

South Korea's military says North Korea has fired several ballistic missiles into the sea. The launch Monday happened hours after South Korean and U.S. troops kicked off their large annual combined drills, which the North views as an invasion rehearsal. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile firings, North Korea's fifth missile launch event this year, were detected from the North's Hwanghae province but gave no further details such as how far they flew. Earlier Monday, the South Korean and U.S. militaries began their drills. The exercises began after the South Korean and U.S. militaries paused live-fire training while Seoul investigates how two of its fighter jets mistakenly bombed a civilian area during a warm-up drill last week.

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has sent a message to conservative supporters rallying outside his Seoul residence, vowing to "fight to the end" against "anti-state forces." His legal team warned on Thursday that police officers attempting to detain him could face arrest by his presidential security service or even civilians. Yoon's statement came as the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials prepares to execute a detainment warrant against him that was issued by a Seoul court. The warrant was issued after Yoon evaded multiple requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his office, hindering an investigation into whether his short-lived power grab on Dec. 3 amounted to rebellion.

South Korea's opposition-controlled National Assembly has voted to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo. The assembly approved the impeachment motion in a 192-0 vote on Friday. Governing party lawmakers boycotted the vote. Han, who is also prime minister, had been acting leader after President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the assembly over his short-lived imposition of martial law earlier this month. Han's impeachment further deepens South Korea's political crisis and damages its international image. In a statement, Han called his impeachment regrettable but said he respects the assembly's decision and will suspend his duties. The deputy prime minister and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, took over.