North Korea fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea from the Pyongyang area on Thursday, August 20, 2026, hours after United States President Donald Trump announced plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.
The launches added fresh tension to Trump’s renewed diplomatic push and came as the United States and South Korea conduct a shortened version of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises.
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South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched at around 5pm local time and travelled approximately 300 kilometres before falling into waters off the Korean Peninsula.
South Korean and US authorities were examining the launches to determine more details about the weapons.
The North Korea missiles launch followed Trump’s announcement on Wednesday that he expected to meet Kim later in 2026, reviving memories of the unprecedented summits between the two leaders during Trump’s first term.
Trump said he had a strong personal relationship with Kim and suggested that maintaining contact could help ease tensions surrounding North Korea’s nuclear programme.
“I get along with him very well,” Trump said, while also claiming that North Korea possesses 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons.
South Korean officials, however, gave a substantially higher estimate of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.
Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back told lawmakers on Thursday that Seoul believes Pyongyang could possess between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads, although he acknowledged that the exact figure is difficult to establish.
The missile launches also came against the backdrop of a significant adjustment to the US-South Korea military exercises.
Trump had ordered the Pentagon to reduce the scale of the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, arguing that the exercises could be viewed by Pyongyang as hostile.
The shortened exercises are due to end on Friday, about a week earlier than originally planned.
The Pentagon has maintained that reducing the exercises would not undermine its training objectives, while South Korean officials have continued to emphasise the importance of maintaining a credible defence posture.
North Korea has consistently condemned joint US-South Korea military exercises, describing them as preparations for an invasion.
Pyongyang has also frequently carried out missile tests during periods of heightened military activity on the peninsula.
The latest launches prompted South Korea’s presidential office to hold an emergency security meeting.
Seoul condemned the missile activity as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and ordered the military to maintain heightened readiness.
The developments have complicated what Trump appears to regard as a promising diplomatic opening.
Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, said on Wednesday that her brother retained “good memories and feelings” towards Trump and described their personal relationship as “excellent”.
She nevertheless said she was unaware of any current communication between the North Korean leader and the US president.
That distinction is important.
While the personal relationship between Trump and Kim may provide a channel for renewed engagement, there is no clear indication that formal negotiations have resumed.
Trump’s earlier meetings with Kim in Singapore in 2018 and Hanoi in 2019, followed by a brief meeting at the Korean Demilitarised Zone in 2019, failed to produce an agreement on denuclearisation.
The Hanoi summit ended without a deal over disagreements concerning sanctions relief and the extent of North Korea’s nuclear dismantlement.
The strategic environment has also changed since those encounters.
North Korea has continued developing its nuclear and missile capabilities, while its relationships with Russia and China have become increasingly important to its foreign policy.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has nevertheless welcomed efforts to reduce tensions.
Lee has said he would do his utmost to support Trump’s efforts to engage Pyongyang, while South Korea continues to strengthen its own defence capabilities.
For Washington and Seoul, the immediate challenge is balancing diplomacy with deterrence.
Trump’s planned meeting with Kim could create an opportunity for dialogue, but Thursday’s launches demonstrate that North Korea remains willing to use its weapons programme to signal strength and reinforce its negotiating position.
The North Korea missiles launch therefore offers a powerful reminder that renewed diplomacy will not automatically translate into reduced military tensions.
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Any future Trump-Kim meeting is likely to face the difficult questions that have stalled previous negotiations, particularly North Korea’s expanding nuclear arsenal and the long-standing US demand for denuclearisation.
Olawale Olaleye is a journalist, editor, and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering public affairs, governance, and national issues.
