news highlight

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  North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles as US-South Korea exercise winds down SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - North Korea fired a dozen ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, as the annual U.S.-South Korea military exercise neared an early end following U.S. President Donald Trump's order to scale it back, while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrapped up a two-day visit to Seoul. The Joint Chiefs of Staff here said it detected about 10 short-range ballistic missiles launched at around 5 p.m. and that military authorities were analyzing their types, August 20, 2026
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  Will Trump's joint drill reduction revive talks with North Korean leader? SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump's abrupt call to scale back a joint military exercise with South Korea has quickly moved from presidential rhetoric to security concerns, amid growing signs that he is seeking another face-to-face meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise (UFS), which began earlier this week and was originally scheduled to run for 11 days through Aug. 27, is being cut to five days and end on Friday. August 20, 2026
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  Trump seeks talks with North Korean leader as Pyongyang remains skeptical SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he expects to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this year. When asked whether he expects to meet Kim, Trump told reporters at the White House, "Yeah, I will be." But he did not provide details about when or where the meeting could take place. Trump also said North Korea has "57 very powerful nuclear weapons," while reiterating his "good" relationship with Kim. But th August 20, 2026
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  North Korea warns of decisive response to US-South Korea joint military drills SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - North Korea would decisively respond to military threats posed by its enemies, referring to the ongoing joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea, state media reported on Wednesday. In a commentary carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea said its "right to self-defense" would be exercised "clearly" through what it described as "advanced new power" to "fully neutralize militar August 19, 2026
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  Lee keeps wartime control plan as Trump cuts drills SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - South Korea will take back wartime control of its own troops on schedule and accelerate work on a nuclear-powered submarine, President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the allies' annual exercise scaled back. Trump said Sunday (local time) that he had instructed U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" the drills, writing on his social media platform that it was too late to can August 18, 2026
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  North Korean leader 'could reengage with Trump after US midterm elections'  SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could seek talks with Washington if U.S. President Donald Trump's Republican Party loses the U.S. midterm elections this fall, according to a U.S. Korea expert. In a post in a question-and-answer format on the website of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on Thursday, Victor Cha, the think tank's Korea Chair, raised the possibility of renewed talks between Pyoung and Washington. "The conv August 14, 2026
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  Pyongyang warns of 'new level of deterrent' against US.-South Korea drills SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - North Korea on Friday denounced an upcoming joint military exercise between South Korea and the U.S., warning that it would respond to the drills with a "new level of deterrent." "It is our consistent principle of ensuring security to respond to a new level of a threat with a new level of a deterrent," a spokesperson for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. August 14, 2026
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  N. Korea fires ballistic missile ahead of UFS, possible hypersonic weapon tested SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea on Wednesday, with analysts raising the possibility that Pyongyang tested a hypersonic short-range ballistic missile or a medium-range weapon flown on a shortened trajectory. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the missile launched from the Wonsan area at around 6 a.m. “Our military detected a ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea at around 6 August 12, 2026
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  North Korea fires ballistic missile ahead of South Korea-US joint drills SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday, military authorities here said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected a missile launched from Wonsan, Kangwon Province at around 6 a.m. that flew more than 700 kilometers. It is analyzing the launch, including details about the missile, in coordination with U.S. authorities. "South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are closely sharing information on the launch and maintaining August 12, 2026