North Korea said Wednesday it test-fired sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles in the Yellow Sea the previous day, a provocation that came ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering.

Axar.az informs, citing Yonhap, North Korea's missile launch came as Trump expressed his wish to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his visit to the South from Oct. 29-30 on the occasion of the APEC meetings.

The cruise missiles, improved for ship-based launches, were fired vertically and flew for over 7,800 seconds along a preset route above the Yellow Sea to destroy the target, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, without disclosing other details, including flight distance.

The North's leader did not oversee the test firing. State media targeting domestic audience, such as the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, did not report on the latest missile launch.

Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, said the North has made important success in putting the country's nuclear forces on a "practical basis."

"It is an extension of exercising the war deterrent and an act of exercising it in a more responsible manner to continuously test the reliability of different strategic offensive means and impress their abilities upon the enemies," Pak said while overseeing the test with key defense officials.

He called for the need to steadily update North Korea's combat capability.

"In particular, it is our responsible mission and duty to ceaselessly toughen the nuclear combat posture," Pak said.

The KCNA said Pak reviewed the training of sailors of new 5,000-ton destroyers, Choe Hyon and Kang Kon, for operating the warships and their weapons systems.