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· collected 2026-08-21 · by TOI World Desk
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, dismissed US President Donald Trump's efforts to resume diplomacy on Wednesday, saying the US military drills with South Korea were provocative and would not change even if their duration was reduced. The next day, North Korea launched 10 short-range ballistic missiles towards its eastern waters from Pyongyang, prompting the South Korean military to tighten surveillance. Kim Yo-jong had also pointed out that relations between her brother and Trump are "still excellent", according to AP. The launches are banned under UN security council resolutions.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he would be scaling back US military exercises with South Korea, citing his "very good" relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and claiming that the exercises were expensive. The annual drills, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, were originally scheduled to run from August 13-27, but have been reduced in scope and scale at the direction of Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The decision has caused alarm among South Koreans, who rely heavily on the US for their security, as well as other US allies in the region. North Korea has been threatening a "new level" of nuclear deterrence in response to the planned drills, which Pyongyang state media called "a rehearsal for an invasion war."
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who had previously floated the idea of reducing joint military exercises with the US as a tool for drawing North Korea back to the table, has renewed his calls for wartime operational control of the military and progress on South Korea's nuclear submarine programme.
The decision to cut short the drills marks a significant shift in Trump's approach to North Korea, which he had previously criticized for its missile tests and threats. Trump added that US involvement in the exercises would send a "signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he said has been "unthreatening and respectful" to his presidency.
The move has also sparked concerns among analysts and US senators about Trump's willingness to prioritize North Korean denuclearization over South Korea's security. Some have criticized Trump's approach as naive, citing the recent spate of North Korean missile tests and threats.
Written for “US-South Korea Military Tensions” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 21 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score +0.35 for article 1756 (medium confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-08-31
North Korea launched 10 short-range ballistic missiles towards its eastern waters on Thursday, a day after it dismissed US President Donald Trump’s efforts to resume diplomacy, when he ordered to scale back of military drills with South Korea
The missiles were reportedly launched from the region of Pyongyang at around 5 pm, prompting the South Korean military to tighten its surveillance.
uncertain
missiles → launch → surveillance
The joint chiefs of staff said the military was closely coordinating information regarding the launches with the US and Japan.
asserted
military → say → US
Earlier, the Japanese prime minister’s office had reported detecting a suspected missile launch.
asserted
office → report → launch
Following the launches, the national security council held an emergency meeting, then issued a statement urging North Korea to halt the launches, which are banned under UN security council resolutions, the Guardian reported.
asserted
Guardian → follow → resolutions
Trump’s effort to mend relations with North Korea
On Wednesday, the South Korean and US militaries said they were scaling back their 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises by six days, and would now conclude on Friday.
asserted
they → mend → Friday
Seoul said the "period and scale" adjustments were made due to a "proposal of the US side".
asserted
adjustments → say → side
Trump had reportedly ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the exercises just before they began on Monday.
uncertain
they → order → Monday
Explaining his reasons for the decision, the US president cited what he said was a good relationship with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and South Korea’s refusal to support him over the war against Iran.
asserted
he → explain → Iran
Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader, dismissed Trump’s overture on Wednesday, saying it was not worthy of comment.
“The provocative, aggressive nature of the drills won’t change even though their duration and size were reduced,” she said.
asserted
she → dismiss → drills
“If the US calculates that it can propagate its recent measure as one of so-called good faith, they will not get the desired answer.”
asserted
they → calculate → answer
She also pointed to a series of other military drills conducted by the US and South Korea earlier this year, as well as South Korea’s push to introduce nuclear-powered submarines.
asserted
She → point → submarines
However, according to AP, Kim Yo-jong refrained from the typically harsh rhetoric used by North Korea, saying that relations between her brother and Trump were “still excellent”.
uncertain
relations → accord → brother
She also referred to Kim Jong-un’s previous comments that he still had “good memories” of Trump.
asserted
he → refer → Trump
