North Korea fires 10+ missiles hours after Trump vows to meet Kim Jong Un

North Korea launched more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, South Korea's presidential office said, in what marks Pyongyang's largest single-day volley this year and a provocative response to both ongoing US-South Korea military exercises and President Donald Trump's announcement that he intends to meet Kim Jong Un later in 2026.NAMPA+1

South Korea's presidential office condemned the launches and ordered the military to maintain full readiness during the joint Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises with the United States. Japan's coast guard issued alerts warning vessels in the area, with the Japanese defense ministry first detecting a suspected ballistic missile around 5 p.m. Korean time.Reuters+1

A Salvo Amid Diplomatic Signals

The launches came just hours after Trump confirmed Wednesday that he would meet Kim Jong Un, telling reporters "Yeah, I will" when asked about plans for a summit. The Wall Street Journal News Corp ↘ 0.33% reported earlier that Trump had been pushing aides for a meeting during his next trip to Asia, potentially at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, in November.CNN+3

Trump's diplomatic outreach has accelerated in recent days. On August 16, he ordered the Pentagon to scale back the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, calling them "costly" and saying they sent a "hostile" signal to North Korea. South Korea's military subsequently announced it would cut the exercises short, ending them on August 21 rather than August 27.aei+1

Pattern of Silence from Pyongyang

Thursday's launches follow two earlier missile tests this month — on August 6 and August 12 — neither of which was reported by North Korean state media, a rare departure from Pyongyang's standard practice of publicizing weapons tests the following day. The August 12 missile flew approximately 700 km and reached an unusual apogee of 90 km, leading analysts to suggest North Korea may be testing a new system designed to fly between the interception altitudes of South Korean and US missile defenses.reuters+2

Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said on August 19 that the reduction of exercises was "meaningless" and that North Korea's nuclear posture would continue regardless of the personal relationship between the two leaders. She also rejected Trump's claim that he and Kim had communicated directly.aei

Diplomatic Impasse Persists

The American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for the Study of War assessed that North Korea remains unlikely to accept Trump's overtures unless the United States changes its position on denuclearization. Kim Jong Un expressed openness to dialogue during the Workers' Party Congress in February 2026 only on the condition that Washington accept North Korea's nuclear status — a step Trump has not taken.aei

The barrage of missiles on Thursday underscores the gap between Trump's diplomatic aspirations and Pyongyang's continued defiance, leaving the region bracing for further provocations as the curtailed exercises approach their end.