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North Korea fires barrage of missiles toward the sea after dismissing overture from Trump
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States /Conflict & Security

North Korea fires barrage of missiles toward the sea after dismissing overture from Trump

From PBS NewsHour · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea on Thursday, according to South Korea's military.
  • The launches occurred a day after North Korea dismissed a U.S. decision to reduce joint military drills with South Korea.
  • The missiles flew approximately 300 kilometers (185 miles) into North Korea's eastern waters.

North Korea launched a barrage of ballistic missiles toward the sea on Thursday, South Korea's military reported. The launches, involving about 10 short-range ballistic missiles, originated from the capital region and flew roughly 300 kilometers into the country's eastern waters. This action follows North Korea's dismissal of a U.S. decision to scale back joint military drills with South Korea, a move seen as an attempt to revive diplomacy.

the provocative, aggressive nature of the drills won't change even though their duration and size were reduced.

โ€” Kim Yo JongDismissing the U.S. decision to scale back military drills with South Korea.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the launches occurred around 5 p.m. local time. In response, South Korea has heightened its surveillance posture and is coordinating closely with the United States and Japan. The presidential national security council urged North Korea to cease its ballistic missile launches.

If the U.S. calculates that it can propagate its recent measure as the one of so-called good faith, they will not get the desired answer.

โ€” Kim Yo JongResponding to the U.S. reduction of military drills.

Earlier, President Donald Trump had ordered a "substantial reduction" in the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which began Monday. Trump cited his relationship with Kim Jong Un and South Korea's stance on the Iran conflict as reasons for the drill modification. However, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed the U.S. overture, stating that the "provocative, aggressive nature of the drills won't change even though their duration and size were reduced."

personal relations between her brother and Trump are 'still excellent.'

โ€” Kim Yo JongCommenting on the relationship between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump.

Kim Yo Jong also refuted Trump's claim of receiving a response from Kim Jong Un regarding a conversation, though she maintained that the personal relationship between the leaders remains "excellent." This suggests North Korea may be waiting for more significant concessions from the U.S. before re-engaging in talks. Trump, when questioned by reporters, indicated he still expects to meet with Kim Jong Un this year.

Yeah, I will be.

โ€” President Donald TrumpResponding to a question about meeting with Kim Jong Un this year.
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Originally published by PBS NewsHour. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.