North Korea fires possible ballistic missile toward sea
The launch came hours after US President Trump announced plans to meet Kim Jong Un later this year.
On Thursday, North Korea launched approximately ten short-range ballistic missiles towards the ocean, according to South Korea's military. The missiles were reportedly fired from Pyongyang. The Japanese Prime Minister's office and the Coast Guard also detected the suspected launch. This incident occurred shortly after US President Donald Trump announced plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later in the year.
The missile launches come amid ongoing military drills between South Korea and the US, which are scheduled to conclude on Friday following Trump's order to significantly decrease US involvement. Pyongyang has consistently denounced these joint exercises as rehearsals for invasion, often retaliating with its own missile launches. In a statement, Trump characterized the war games as "inappropriate and hostile," highlighting his intention to meet Kim later in the year.
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of Kim Jong Un, responded to Trump's remarks, asserting that the reduced duration and size of the drills would not alter their provocative and aggressive nature. She emphasized that if the US believes its recent actions constitute good faith, they will not receive the desired response.
Written by urgent.news from DW News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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