North Korea launches 10 ballistic missiles in coordination with military exercises between Seoul and Washington
South Korea announced that it detected Pyongyang’s launch of approximately ten short-range ballistic missiles, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump declared that he would meet with its leader, Kim Jong Un, later this year.
The missile launches coincided with annual military exercises conducted by Seoul and Washington, which had been shortened in duration.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the South Korean armed forces stated that North Korea “launched approximately ten short-range ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang area.”
This came shortly after Seoul announced that Pyongyang had fired an unidentified projectile, while Japan’s Ministry of Defense assessed it was likely a ballistic missile. In recent days, Trump has focused on relations with North Korea.
When asked by reporters at the White House whether he intended to meet with Kim in 2026, Trump replied, “Yes, I will.”
According to observers, the meeting could take place next November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit in China.
In his recent remarks, Trump offered an unusually precise and formal assessment of Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal, stating that it possesses “57 nuclear weapons.”
He added, “This should never have happened (...) If I were president, I would not have allowed it,” while reaffirming that, despite everything, he maintains a “very good” relationship with the North Korean leader.
While the U.S. president has hinted in recent days at ongoing communication with Kim Jong Un, Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, said she was unaware of such contacts.
She clarified, “Regarding the latest information released by Washington about communication between the leaders of North Korea and the United States, I have no knowledge of it whatsoever. This may be the only foreign policy matter concerning our supreme authorities that I am not aware of.” However, she affirmed the “excellent” relationship between Trump and Kim.
