North Korea fires suspected missile after Trump cuts US drills
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward the sea on Thursday, August 20, according to Japan's government and coastguard.
- South Korea's military confirmed the launch of an unidentified projectile toward the sea east of the Korean Peninsula.
- Japan's coast guard said the projectile had already fallen and landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, according to NHK.
- President Trump ordered a substantial reduction in U.S. participation in the ongoing South Korea–U.S. military drills, cutting them short so they end Friday.
- Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said Wednesday that the U.S.'s "hostile policy" toward North Korea had not changed while the drills were still underway.
Why it matters: Trump cut U.S. participation in joint drills to restart diplomacy with Pyongyang, but Kim Yo Jong had already declared U.S. policy 'hostile' the day before — and North Korea responded with a missile test. The sequence shows Pyongyang is not rewarding unilateral U.S. concessions, exposing the gap between Trump's conciliatory gestures and North Korea's actual posture.
Ask SkimNews
