North Korea fires about 10 ballistic missiles toward sea after US and South Korea scale back military drills
North Korea launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea Thursday, just one day after dismissing the United States' decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea.
The missiles were launched from the area around the North Korean capital at approximately 5 p.m. local time and traveled about 300 kilometers toward waters off the country's eastern coast. South Korea increased its surveillance efforts and coordinated with the United States and Japan following the launches. South Korea's presidential national security council called on North Korea to stop conducting ballistic missile tests.
Japan also detected what it described as a suspected missile launch.
The latest launches came after President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to substantially reduce the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises shortly before they began Monday. Trump pointed to his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea's decision not to support the United States during the war in Iran.
The annual U.S.-South Korean exercises were originally scheduled to last 11 days, but the allies announced Wednesday that the drills would be shortened by about half and that some field training activities would be canceled. The changes have raised concerns about the allies' ability to maintain their joint defense readiness.
Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's sister and a senior North Korean official, rejected the idea that reducing the exercises represented a meaningful gesture from Washington. She said the drills remained provocative and aggressive regardless of their reduced size and duration.
Kim Yo Jong also disputed Trump's claim that her brother had responded to an effort to establish contact. At the same time, she avoided the unusually harsh rhetoric often used by North Korea and said the personal relationship between Kim Jong Un and Trump remains good.
Trump said Wednesday that he expects to meet with Kim Jong Un later this year. He declined to say whether the two leaders have been exchanging letters but reiterated that they have a good relationship.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises are among the largest annual military drills conducted by the United States and South Korea. The allies describe them as defensive exercises designed to prepare for a potential North Korean attack, while Pyongyang routinely condemns them as rehearsals for an invasion.
North Korea had already warned that it would respond to this year's exercises and conducted two ballistic missile launches into the sea shortly before the drills began. Those launches were the country's first such tests since late June.
Trump's previous diplomatic efforts with Kim broke down in 2019 after the two sides failed to agree on how much sanctions relief North Korea should receive in exchange for dismantling part of its nuclear program. Since then, Kim has rejected renewed negotiations, expanded his country's weapons capabilities and strengthened ties with Russia.
Kim has also declared that North Korea's nuclear arsenal will not be used as a bargaining chip. Analysts say the North Korean leader now has greater leverage than he did during his meetings with Trump in 2018 and 2019 and may seek international recognition of North Korea as a nuclear power along with significant sanctions relief in exchange for limited concessions.
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