North Korea Rejects Trump’s Outreach To Kim Jong Un, Fires 10 Missiles After US Cuts Drills

North Korea has dismissed Donald Trump’s renewed outreach to Kim Jong Un, saying Washington should not expect goodwill in return for scaling back US South Korean military exercises. The sharp response came as Trump signalled plans to meet Kim again later this year, exposing a widening gap between Washington’s optimism and Pyongyang’s position.

Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s powerful sister, said she was “completely unaware” of any recent communication between Kim and Trump. At the same time, she acknowledged that the two leaders retain an excellent personal relationship and that Kim has good memories of Trump. Her comments directly undercut Trump’s suggestion that Kim had responded positively to US overtures.

Trump has said he intends to meet Kim later this year, potentially during his planned Asia trip. Asked about communications with the North Korean leader, Trump declined to provide details but repeatedly highlighted their personal rapport, arguing that his relationship with Kim makes the United States and its regional partners safer.

Trump’s outreach has coincided with a decision to scale back the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises with South Korea. The annual drills began on August 17 and were originally scheduled to run for 11 days. Following Trump’s order to substantially reduce the US role, Washington and Seoul agreed to shorten them to five days, with the exercise now expected to conclude on August 21.

Trump has cited the high cost of maintaining US forces and exercises in South Korea, Seoul’s reluctance to support Washington over Iran and his desire not to send what he considers an unnecessarily hostile signal to Pyongyang. He has also described Kim as having been respectful toward him.

But Kim Yo Jong made clear that the reduction does not change North Korea’s assessment of the drills. She said Pyongyang was uninterested in the decision and argued that reducing their size or duration does not remove their “provocative, aggressive nature.” She warned that if Washington was presenting the move as goodwill, it should not expect the response it wanted.

Then came an even stronger signal.

On Thursday, South Korea said North Korea launched about 10 short range ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang region toward the East Sea. The launches came just hours after Trump renewed his push for talks with Kim and a day after Pyongyang rejected Washington’s military overture. Seoul said it had strengthened surveillance and was coordinating closely with the US and Japan.

The developments underline how far the situation has moved since Trump Kim diplomacy collapsed in 2019 over disagreements about sanctions relief and North Korea’s demand to retain its nuclear capabilities. North Korea has since expanded its weapons programme, making denuclearisation an even harder prospect.

Trump has also claimed that North Korea possesses 57 nuclear weapons, although independent assessments generally put its stockpile at around 50 to 60 warheads, with uncertainty surrounding the exact figure.

For Trump, the challenge is therefore clear: his personal relationship with Kim may still exist, but Pyongyang is showing little urgency to return to negotiations. Meanwhile, Washington’s decision to reduce military exercises risks unsettling South Korea and other US partners in the Indo Pacific.

The latest missile launches suggest that, for now, Trump’s olive branch has not produced the response he wanted. His attempt to revive the Kim relationship could still lead to a summit, but unless Pyongyang sees a reason to negotiate, the president may find that personal diplomacy alone is no longer enough.