Just In: North Korea Fires Over 10 Missiles as Trump Signals Fresh Kim Jong Un Meeting
By Naheem Olaoye
North Korea fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Thursday, hours after US President Donald Trump announced plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched from the Pyongyang area at around 5:00 pm local time and travelled approximately 300 kilometres before falling into the East Sea.
The launches came as South Korea and the United States conduct a scaled-back version of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises.
Pyongyang has repeatedly condemned the joint drills, describing them as rehearsals for an invasion and frequently responding with missile tests during or around the exercises.
Trump, speaking at the White House on Wednesday, said he intended to meet Kim later this year as he seeks to revive the relationship established during his first presidency.
The US president said it was important for Washington to “get along” with Kim and claimed North Korea currently possesses 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons. South Korean estimates put the figure at between 80 and 120.
Following Thursday’s launches, South Korea’s presidential office convened an emergency security meeting and condemned the missile tests as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Authorities also ordered the military to maintain heightened readiness.
The missile launches came shortly after Seoul announced that the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises would end on Friday, roughly a week earlier than originally scheduled, following a request from the US side.
The Pentagon said the shortened exercises would not affect US training objectives.
The drills are intended to strengthen the allies’ ability to respond to a potential attack from North Korea. The United States maintains about 28,500 troops in South Korea as part of its defence commitment to the country.
Trump’s renewed engagement with Kim and the decision to scale back the military exercises have raised concerns among some US allies in Asia, while also fuelling speculation that the president is seeking a diplomatic breakthrough amid difficulties surrounding the Iran war.
Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, said on Wednesday that her brother had “good memories and feelings” about Trump and described relations between the two leaders as “excellent”.
She added, however, that she was not aware of any current communication between them.
Meanwhile, South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Seoul remained opposed to recognising North Korea as a nuclear-weapon state.
Asked whether Washington had abandoned its goal of denuclearising North Korea, Ahn said he did not believe that was the case.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who has advocated stronger domestic defence capabilities to reduce Seoul’s dependence on Washington, said he would “do his utmost” to support Trump’s efforts to pursue peace with North Korea.
