Trump Calls to Meet Kim Jong Un, Yet North Korea Fires 10 Missiles | WPN World People News

Following his recent request to scale down joint U.S.–South Korea military drills, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly stated on the 19th that he hopes to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again this year. Emphasizing the friendly relationship they had built, Trump further specified that North Korea possesses 57 nuclear weapons. However, on the afternoon of the 20th, North Korea launched approximately 10 short-range ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang area toward the waters east of the Korean Peninsula. South Korea convened an emergency meeting the same day, ordering the military to intensify surveillance and maintain full combat readiness.

South Korea's military detected the missile launches toward the northeastern waters at around 5:00 PM on the 20th. The missiles reached a maximum altitude of approximately 90 kilometers, flew about 320 kilometers, and ultimately landed near the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula. Japan also detected suspected missile launches, with one missile landing outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Prior to the launches, Kim Yo Jong, sister of Kim Jong Un and Vice Department Director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, condemned the joint U.S.–South Korea military exercises. She argued that scaling down the drills was not a policy concession and that U.S. hostility toward North Korea remained unchanged. However, she noted that Kim Jong Un still cherishes personal memories of his interactions with Trump and that the two leaders continue to maintain a good relationship.

On the morning of the 21st, authorities from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea held a trilateral phone conference regarding North Korea's ballistic missile tests to share intelligence and discuss response strategies. Following the meeting, they released a statement condemning the launches as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and pledged to cooperate closely to continuously monitor North Korea's actions. The South Korean government also issued a statement on the 21st, emphasizing that it remains committed to peaceful dialogue, ongoing communication with North Korea to ease regional tensions, and close cooperation with the United States to implement the denuclearization policy and achieve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.