Christine Drews Sieger
North Korea launched roughly ten short-range ballistic missiles shortly after the US scaled back joint military drills with South Korea.
North Korea launched roughly 10 short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern waters on Thursday, according to Associated press, cited by The Guardian.
The Associated Press reported that South Korean military authorities detected the weapons lifting off from the Pyongyang region around 5pm local time.
The unexpected test instantly triggered heightened surveillance operations across the region.
Intelligence agencies in Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington quickly began sharing real-time tracking data on the launches.
South Korean officials immediately convened an emergency national security council meeting.
In a statement following the meeting, South Korean officials condemned the launches as a direct breach of UN sanctions and called for an immediate cessation of all missile activity.
Dismissing peace efforts
The aggressive military display arrived just one day after a major American policy shift.
Associated press reported that US and South Korean forces agreed to scale back their 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield joint exercises.
Tensions between Washington and Seoul over Iran policy, combined with Trump’s belief in his personal rapport with Kim Jong-un, prompted the sudden scale-back of the joint military operations.
Pyongyang swiftly brushed aside the American gesture. Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader, publicly rejected the reduced exercise schedule.
“The provocative, aggressive nature of the drills won’t change even though their duration and size were reduced,” she said the previous day.
She added that Washington would not receive its desired answer by framing the move as good faith.
Waiting for concessions
Despite criticizing the military exercises, Kim Yo-jong noted that personal relations between her brother and Trump remain “still excellent”.
Regional analysts believe Pyongyang is withholding formal diplomatic engagement until Washington offers much larger concessions.
When asked by reporters on Wednesday about a potential summit, Trump remained optimistic about future talks.
“Yeah, I will be,” he answered when asked if he expected to meet Kim Jong-un later this year, according to Associated press.
A setback for renewed diplomacy
The latest missile launches could complicate President Donald Trump’s efforts to revive direct diplomacy with Kim Jong-un.
Reuters reported that the launches came as the United States and South Korea were scaling back their joint military exercises following Trump’s directive, while Pyongyang continued to reject the move as insufficient.
Trump said just one day earlier that he expected to meet Kim later this year, raising hopes of renewed high-level talks.
But Thursday’s launches underline the gap between Washington’s diplomatic overtures and Pyongyang’s continued military pressure.
North Korea has repeatedly resisted U.S. and South Korean attempts to change its stance, suggesting that Trump’s personal relationship with Kim may face a significant test if the two leaders return to the negotiating table.
