The U.S. and South Korean militaries were wrapping up their annual drills six days earlier than initially scheduled on Friday (August 21, 2026) in a conciliatory gesture toward North Korea, though the North said the step isn’t enough to convince it to return to talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier abruptly ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises just before they began Monday (August 17). Mr. Trump cited what he described as a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s refusal to support him over the war in Iran.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, brushed aside Mr. Trump’s overture on Wednesday (August 19), saying “the provocative, aggressive nature of the drills” won’t change only with the reduction of their duration and size.

The next day, North Korea fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea, apparently following through with its previous threat to respond to the U.S.-South Korean drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.

The U.S. Pacific Command said the events didn’t pose an immediate threat to U.S. territory or its allies. The command said the U.S. remains committed to the defence of the U.S. homeland and its allies in the region.

Kim Yo Jong’s statement dampened hopes for an early resumption of talks between Mr. Trump and Kim Jong Un, whose earlier nuclear diplomacy collapsed in 2019.

Kim Jong Un has used the diplomatic stalemate to increase his leverage by modernising his nuclear and missile programmes and aligning with Russia over its war against Ukraine.

Kim Jong Un suggested last year that he won’t return to talks unless the U.S. drops its demand for North Korean denuclearisation as a precondition for diplomacy.

Kim Yo Jong still used relatively measured language, avoided typical harsh North Korean rhetoric and touched upon what she called an “excellent” relationship between her brother and Mr. Trump.

This suggests North Korea doesn’t want to completely shut the door for future talks and may seek to win bigger U.S. concessions, such as international recognition as a nuclear state and broad sanctions relief.

With its supply of ammunition and troops to Russia, North Korea is likely receiving economic and military assistance in return, and its expanding ties with Russia provides it with leverage to ask for greater support from China, its biggest trading partner.

“After this strategic play has run its course, Mr. Kim may seek further economic and reputational benefits from Washington,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “But that will probably be after the U.S. midterm elections when Mr. Trump is expected to be in a weaker domestic political position and in search of headline-grabbing foreign policies.”

Kim Dong-Yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said that Kim Yo Jong’s statement showed North Korea’s position that a personal relationship between her brother and Mr. Trump “can’t be a factor that moves current North Korean-U.S. relations”.

He said Kim Yo Jong likely aimed to head off speculation that Mr. Trump’s move can restore diplomacy so as not to fully take the blame when it doesn’t happen.

Kim Yo Jong denied Mr. Trump’s claim that Kim Jong Un had responded to his request for a conversation.

When asked by reporters Wednesday (August 19) if he would be meeting with Kim Jong Un this year, Donald Trump said, “Yeah, I will be.”

The Ulchi Freedom Shield is one of the main military exercises conducted by the U.S. and South Korea annually to enhance their ability to cope with potential North Korean aggression. Its downsizing has caused worries about joint U.S.-South Korean readiness.

North Korea conducted a test of its “state of the art”, nuclear-capable multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), state media reported on Sunday (March 15, 2026), a day after Seoul identified the launch of around 10 ballistic missiles.

The test comes just days after South Korean and U.S. forces kicked off their springtime military drills.

Kim Jong Un oversaw the test on Saturday (March 14), which “involved twelve 600mm-calibre ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies”, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Mr. Kim said the drill would give Pyongyang’s enemies “within the 420 km striking range” a sense of “uneasiness” as well as “a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapon”, KCNA reported.

KCNA said on Sunday (March 15) that the rockets battered an island target in the East Sea of Korea more than 360 kilometres away.

Mr. Kim praised the MLRS as a “very deadly yet attractive weapon”.

Photos released by KCNA showed several rockets blasting off large vehicles into the air.

Another picture shows Mr. Kim and his daughter Ju Ae watching the launch from afar, flanked by a military official.

Ms. Ju Ae has long been seen as next in line to rule the country, a perception stoked by a string of recent high-profile outings.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it had detected multiple launches on Saturday (March 15) from the North into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.

Seoul’s presidential Blue House condemned the launches as a “provocation that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions” and urged Pyongyang to immediately stop such acts.

The launches came hours after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said that U.S. President Donald Trump thinks a meeting with Pyongyang’s Mr. Kim would be “good”.

The Trump administration has pushed in recent months to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, eyeing a possible summit with Mr. Kim this year, potentially during Mr. Trump’s visit to Beijing set for late March.

After largely ignoring these overtures, Mr. Kim said recently that the two nations could “get along” if Washington accepted Pyongyang’s nuclear status.

Joint drills

The U.S. and South Korea’s springtime military drills, dubbed “Freedom Shield”, will involve about 18,000 Korean troops and run until March 19.

This week, Kim Yo Jong, a powerful confidante of her brother Kim Jong Un, said the joint drills “may cause unimaginably terrible consequences”.

She went on to say the drills were taking place at “a critical time when global security structure is collapsing rapidly and wars break out in different parts of the world”.

Pyongyang has condemned the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran as an “illegal act of aggression”, claiming it shows the “rogue” nature of the United States.

North Korea also recently carried out missile tests from the naval Choe Hyon destroyer, claiming the country was in the process of “arming the Navy with nuclear weapons”.