North Korea Launches Missiles Hours After Trump Offers Meeting

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North Korea fired around 10 short-range ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang area toward the sea to the east of the Korean Peninsula on Thursday. The launches occurred hours after US President Donald Trump stated he planned to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this year. South Korea's presidential office condemned the launch as a grave act that violates UN Security Council resolutions and ordered its military to maintain full readiness. Japan's prime minister's office and coast guard reported a suspected ballistic missile had already fallen. The missile launches coincided with a shorter edition of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises between South Korea and the United States. President Trump had ordered the exercises scaled back, and the Department of Defense confirmed they would conclude on Friday, a week earlier than initially scheduled. Trump stated on Wednesday that the joint exercises are insulting to Kim Jong Un and that it was important to get along with the North Korean leader. He also claimed North Korea had 57 very powerful nuclear weapons, while Seoul estimates 80 to 120. Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's sister, dismissed Trump's overture on Wednesday, stating it was not worth making comments on that and that the provocative, aggressive nature of the drills won't change despite their reduced duration and size. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun stated that neither his government nor US officials were notified in advance of Trump's social media posts about scaling back the drills. Trump also criticized Seoul for not paying enough money for 'protection' provided by the US.

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