Topping the agenda at every stop is trade, with negotiators still ironing out the details of pacts expected to be signed on Trump's tour of Asia.

South Korea is stepping up its security measures in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, which hosts the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit of 21 member economies next week, with large-scale field exercises held and higher terrorism-alert levels imposed.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit South Korea for APEC events. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung plans to hold separate meetings with them, aiming to foster peace and stability amid trade tensions.

Trump's Asia summit tour includes meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other regional leaders as trade tensions with Beijing escalate.

North Korea tested a new hypersonic weapon system targeting North Hamgyong, signaling strategic deterrence ahead of the APEC summit. The US condemned the launches, warning they violate UN Security Council resolutions.

South Korea’s president Lee Jae Myung hailed his nation’s relationship with the United States in a CNN interview on Wednesday, pushing aside lingering trade concerns and welcoming President Donald Trump,

North Korea successfully tested a "new cutting-edge weapons system" involving hypersonic missiles, state-run media reported Thursday, amid heightened regional tensions.

South Korean Foreign Affairs Minister Cho Hyun discusses an elusive trade deal with the US, his views on North Korea, as well as the upcoming APEC summit in an interview with Correspondent Lim Yun Suk on CNA's East Asia Tonight.