North Korea Fires Missiles After Trump's Kim Talks Claim
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- North Korea launched 10 short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Thursday, its third firing in two weeks, directly following Trump's announcement of upcoming talks with Kim Jong Un.
- Kim Yo Jong stated Pyongyang was "completely unaware of" plans for discussions and dismissed Trump's scaling back of the 10-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises as "unworthy of comment," adding that only canceling drills entirely would count as a "goodwill measure."
- Trump announced Wednesday that he is in contact with Kim Jong Un and that the two leaders would meet later this year, claiming the US military would scale back annual joint drills with South Korea as a precursor.
- South Korea's government has welcomed Trump's claim and reiterated it no longer considers denuclearization a prerequisite for talks, though ordinary citizens fear Trump will "deal directly with North Korea" and ignore Seoul's security needs, according to Professor Choo Jae-woo of Kyung Hee University.
- North Korea is in a stronger negotiating position than during Trump's first term thanks to its security and economic alliance with Russia, which grants access to military technology, energy, and consumer goods previously blocked by sanctions, per Choo.
- Kim Jong Un's regime has made it official policy that it will never engage in dialogue as long as giving up nuclear weapons is on the table — a stance hardened since the failed 2019 Hanoi talks.
- The APEC forum on November 18-19 in Shenzhen, China, is being floated as a possible venue for any in-person meeting, while Trump's timeline is constrained by the November 3 US midterm elections.
Why it matters: Trump's timeline is tight — the November 3 US midterms create urgency — but North Korea is in its strongest negotiating position in years thanks to its Russia alliance and profits from co-belligerency in Ukraine. Pyongyang has officially ruled out any dialogue requiring disarmament, meaning Trump's drill cuts alone are unlikely to bring Kim to the table.
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