North Korea Launches More Than 10 Ballistic Missiles as Trump Signals Possible Meeting with Kim Jong Un
Dragon Media News Desk
North Korea has launched more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang area toward the East Sea, according to South Korea’s military, just hours after US President Donald Trump said he planned to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched at around 5 pm on Thursday and travelled approximately 300 kilometres. South Korean and US authorities are conducting a joint assessment of the launches and the characteristics of the missiles involved.
The launches came as the United States and South Korea were conducting their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise. North Korea has long described such joint drills as rehearsals for an invasion.
This year’s exercise was shortened and reduced in scope following directions from President Trump. The United States and South Korea had originally planned an 11-day exercise but scaled it back to five days, with some field training activities also reduced.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that he planned to meet Kim this year. During his first term, Trump met the North Korean leader three times and has repeatedly suggested that their personal relationship could serve as a basis for renewed diplomacy.
Trump also said that his understanding was that North Korea currently possessed 57 powerful nuclear weapons, although that figure has not been formally confirmed by the US government. South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back has cited private estimates suggesting that North Korea may possess between 80 and 120 nuclear weapons. Seoul, however, continues to reject formally recognising North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.
Following the missile launches, South Korea’s presidential office convened an emergency security meeting. Seoul condemned the launches as violations of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and ordered security agencies to maintain a heightened state of readiness.
Meanwhile, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of Kim Jong Un, said that her brother still had positive memories of Trump and that the personal relationship between the two leaders remained good. She nevertheless indicated that she was not aware of any direct official communication currently taking place between them.
Her remarks also suggested that Pyongyang does not regard the reduction of US-South Korean military exercises as sufficient evidence of a fundamental policy shift by Washington.
Trump and Kim held their first summit in Singapore in 2018. A second summit in Hanoi in 2019 ended without agreement after the two sides failed to bridge differences over sanctions relief and the scope of denuclearisation. They met again later that year at the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Since then, North Korea has continued to expand its missile and nuclear capabilities while strengthening relations with Russia and China. Any renewed summit diplomacy would therefore take place in a substantially different strategic environment from that of Trump’s first term.
The latest missile launches may be viewed not simply as a rejection of dialogue, but also as an attempt by Pyongyang to demonstrate military deterrence and strengthen its negotiating position ahead of any possible future talks.
