South Korea’s presidential office has strongly denounced North Korea’s firing of over 10 short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday and has instructed its military to stay on high alert during the ongoing joint exercises with the United States. Following the missile launch from the Pyongyang area towards the east of the Korean Peninsula, an emergency security meeting was held by the presidential office, with officials from the Defence Ministry and military authorities in attendance. The office emphasized that the ballistic missile launch constitutes a serious violation of UN Security Council resolutions and urged North Korea to cease such actions immediately.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missiles traveled approximately 300 kilometers towards the sea. The missile launches occurred a day after the announcement that the South Korean and U.S. militaries were reducing the duration of their 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which were set to conclude by the end of Friday. President Donald Trump had directed the Pentagon to significantly reduce the exercise just before its commencement on Monday, citing his positive relationship with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s decision not to support the U.S. in its actions regarding Iran.
In response to questions from reporters, Trump confirmed his intention to meet with Kim later this year and disclosed that North Korea possesses 57 nuclear weapons. This is the first time Trump has disclosed this figure, although South Korean officials estimate the number to be between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads. Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister and a spokesperson for the regime, rejected Trump’s outreach on Wednesday, stating that reducing the military drills did not change their provocative nature. She also mentioned previous military exercises conducted by the U.S. and South Korea and South Korea’s plans to introduce nuclear-powered submarines.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, indicated that the missile launch was likely intended to emphasize Kim Yo Jong’s warning from the previous day and serve various purposes, such as opposing the South Korea-U.S. military exercises, expressing discontent over discussions on North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, and cautioning against speculation on Pyongyang’s security matters. Trump’s previous confrontations with North Korea over missile tests in 2017 evolved into diplomatic meetings with Kim, but without significant progress.
Trump has repeatedly raised concerns about the cost of maintaining U.S. troops in South Korea and has questioned Seoul’s contribution to the expenses. Despite a cost-sharing agreement between the allies covering 2026 to 2030, with South Korea scheduled to provide about 1.52 trillion won ($1.1 billion US) this year for U.S. troop maintenance, Trump maintains that South Korea should pay more. Japan’s government and coast guard confirmed that North Korea had launched a ballistic missile towards the sea on Thursday, with the projectile reportedly landing outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
During a visit to Seoul, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi advised South Korea not to take sides between Beijing and Washington and encouraged the U.S. to abandon its “hostile” approach towards North Korea. Wang expressed China’s support for peaceful coexistence between South Korea and North Korea and highlighted the strengthening relationship between China and North Korea, as evidenced by recent meetings between Kim and Xi Jinping.