- North Korea launched more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea.
- The missile launches came hours after Donald Trump announced plans to meet Kim Jong Un later this year.
- South Korea and the US have shortened their annual joint military exercises.
North Korea fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Thursday, hours after United States President Donald Trump announced plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.
Eko Hot Blog reports that South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched from the Pyongyang area at about 5:00 p.m. local time and travelled approximately 300 kilometres before landing in the East Sea.
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The launches came as South Korea and the United States conducted a scaled-down version of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises.
Pyongyang has repeatedly condemned the joint drills, describing them as preparations for a possible invasion. North Korea has also frequently carried out missile tests around the time of the exercises.
Trump, speaking at the White House on Wednesday, said he intended to meet Kim again and stressed the importance of maintaining a relationship with the North Korean leader.
The US president said North Korea currently had 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons, although South Korean estimates put the country’s nuclear arsenal at between 80 and 120 weapons.
Following Thursday’s missile launches, South Korea’s presidential office convened an emergency security meeting and condemned the tests as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Authorities also ordered heightened military readiness as South Korean and US officials continued analysing the missiles.
Trump’s renewed engagement with Kim and his decision to scale back the joint military exercises have raised concerns among some US allies in Asia, while also generating speculation about Washington’s broader foreign policy priorities.
Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, said on Wednesday that her brother had “good memories and feelings” about Trump and that the relationship between the two leaders remained “excellent.”
However, she said she was unaware of any current communication between them.
Seoul also announced that the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises would end on Friday, about a week earlier than initially scheduled, following a request from the US side.
The Pentagon said the shortened exercises would not affect US training objectives.
The annual drills are intended to prepare South Korean and US forces for a potential attack from North Korea.
The United States maintains about 28,500 troops in South Korea as part of its longstanding defence commitment to Seoul, which dates back to the 1950-1953 Korean War.
South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Seoul remained opposed to formally 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 the United States had done so.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who has advocated stronger domestic defence capabilities to reduce Seoul’s reliance on Washington, said he would support Trump’s efforts to pursue peace with North Korea.
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