North Korea Launches Missiles Amid US Military Changes

North Korea fired 10 ballistic missiles following US scaling back joint military drills with South Korea, escalating tensions in the region.

North Korea has launched approximately 10 short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea, as reported by South Korea’s military. This action took place shortly after the US scaled back its military exercises with South Korea, a move many interpret as an attempt to foster better relations with Kim Jong-un.

The military officials noted that the missiles were launched from the Pyongyang region around 5 PM (08:00 GMT) on Thursday, directed into North Korea’s eastern waters. In response, South Korea has heightened its surveillance efforts and is actively sharing information regarding the launches with both the US and Japan.

An emergency meeting convened by South Korea’s presidential national security council led to a statement calling on North Korea to cease its ballistic missile launches, which are illegal under UN security council resolutions. Furthermore, officials from Japan indicated that they had identified a suspected missile launch as well.

Prior to these events, South Korea and the US military announced the reduction of their 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, with Donald Trump ordering a significant decrease shortly before they commenced on Monday. In his explanation for this decision, the US president cited a positive relationship with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, as well as South Korea’s lack of support regarding his actions in the Iran conflict.

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, publicly dismissed Trump’s overtures on Wednesday, suggesting that it wasn’t worth discussing. She asserted, “The provocative, aggressive nature of the drills won’t change even though their duration and size were reduced,” adding that the US should not expect a favorable response by portraying this change as a goodwill gesture.

Despite her stern words, Kim Yo-jong did not resort to the typical fiery rhetoric that often characterizes North Korean responses. She acknowledged the ongoing cordial relations between her brother and Trump, implying that Pyongyang might be waiting for larger concessions from the US before returning to diplomatic talks.

Separately, Kim Yo-jong refuted Trump’s assertion that Kim Jong-un had agreed to his request for a dialogue. When asked by journalists on Wednesday whether he planned to meet with Kim Jong-un this year, Trump replied affirmatively but declined to comment on whether there had been recent correspondence between them, reiterating that he maintains a good rapport with the North Korean leader.