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(https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-kim-jong-un-north-korea-meeting-nuclear-weapons/) Trump said he would meet  again with (https://www.cbsnews.com/feature/north-korea-tensions/) North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un later this year. The latest launches by the nuclear-armed North came after Mr. Trump ordered a reduction in the ongoing joint South Korea-U.S. Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises, which are now set to end Friday. Pyongyang has long condemned U.S.-South Korean exercises as rehearsals for an invasion, often staging missile test launches during and around the drills. Mr. Trump said he (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-south-korea-cut-short-joint-military-drills-trump/) made the decision to scale back  the war games "based on my very good relationship with" Kim. He said the longstanding annual military exercises sent a "totally inappropriate and hostile signal" to the North. South Korea's lack of assistance in the (https://www.cbsnews.com/us-iran-tensions/) war with Iran was also a factor, he said. (SKOREA-US-NKOREA-MILITARY-EXERCISE)  South Korean soldiers take part in an anti-terror drill at a hotel in Seoul on Aug. 19, 2026, on the sidelines of a major South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise named Ulchi Freedom Shield. Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty     The president said it was important to "get along" with Kim, adding that Pyongyang now had 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons. Officials in Seoul said Thursday that North Korea now has between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads, and they couldn't explain the discrepancy between their estimate and Mr. Trump's.  (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-north-korea-kim-jong-un-xi-jinping-donald-trump-nuclear-weapons-russia/) Does an emboldened Kim Jong Un want "to confront the U.S."?   Just hours after Mr. Trump said he expected to meet again with Kim, an official from Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff told the AFP that the North had fired "around 10 short-range ballistic missiles" from the Pyongyang area. (SKOREA-US-NKOREA-DIPLOMACY-MISSILE)  People watch a news broadcast showing file video of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 20, 2026, after the North fired around 10 short-range ballistic missiles, according to South Korea's military. Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty     Japan earlier said a suspected "ballistic missile launched by North Korea a short while ago has already fallen," according to an X post from the prime minister's office.  Mr. Trump's sudden focus on Kim and his scaling back of the joint drills with South Korea have alarmed Asian allies, sparking speculation that he may be seeking a foreign policy win as the (https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/us-iran-war-deal-strait-of-hormuz/) Iran war grinds on  in a costly stalemate. Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader's powerful sister, said Wednesday that her brother had "good memories and feelings" about Mr. Trump and that the relationship between the two leaders remained "excellent." She said, however, that she was unaware of any current communication between the two leaders.  (Video: H.R. McMaster reacts to Trump apparently pushing for meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un)   (https://www.cbsnews.com/video/hr-mcmaster-reacts-trump-north-korea-kim-jong-un/)    H.R. McMaster reacts to Trump apparently pushing for meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un 05:16    Mr. Trump met three times with Kim during his first term, lauding his relations with the authoritarian leader but (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-claims-north-korea-agreed-to-denuclearize-but-thats-not-the-case/) failing to get him to make any solid commitments to rein in North Korea's nuclear weapons program, which (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-new-nuclear-facility/) has advanced steadily since.  Her statement came hours after Seoul announced the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises would end on Friday — about a week earlier than planned — "at the suggestion of the U.S. side." The Pentagon said the reduced drills would cause "no degradation to U.S. training objectives." The exercises are designed to prepare for a possible attack by North Korea. The United States has about 28,500 forces stationed in South Korea to bolster the country's defenses — a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. South Korea's Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Seoul remained opposed to officially recognizing the North as a nuclear-weapon state, something Kim has long sought. Asked whether Washington had "given up" on North Korea's denuclearization, Ahn said he did not believe so. President Lee Jae Myung, who has long pushed for stronger homegrown defenses to reduce South Korea's reliance on the United States, said Wednesday that he would "do his utmost" to support Mr. Trump's peacemaking efforts with the North.  North Korea (https://www.cbsnews.com/feature/north-korea-tensions/?intcid=CNI-00-10aaa3a) More      (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-kim-jong-un-north-korea-meeting-nuclear-weapons/?intcid=CNI-00-10aaa3a)   Trump says he expects to meet with North Korea's Kim Jong Un this year  (Donald Trump,Kim Jong Un)     (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-scale-back-south-korea-military-exercises/?intcid=CNI-00-10aaa3a)   Trump orders Pentagon to "substantially reduce" exercises with South Korea  (President Trump stops to speak to reporters before boarding Air Force One on Aug. 14, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.)     (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-soldier-suspected-defection-south-korea/?intcid=CNI-00-10aaa3a)   North Korean soldier crosses border in suspected defection, report says  (SKOREA-NKOREA-POLITICS)     (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-north-korea-kim-jong-un-xi-jinping-donald-trump-nuclear-weapons-russia/?intcid=CNI-00-10aaa3a)   Is China's Xi worried that North Korea wants "to confront the U.S."?  (Chinese President Xi Jinping visits North Korea)     (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-new-nuclear-facility/?intcid=CNI-00-10aaa3a)   North Korea announces opening of a new nuclear facility  (Kim Jong Un)       Go deeper with The Free Press  (https://www.thefp.com/p/what-trumps-north-korea-policy-tells?utm_source=cbs_news&utm_campaign=cbs_news_recirculation&utm_content=bottom_page)   Fire and Fury 2.0: What Trump’s North Korea Policy Tells Us About Iran  ()     (https://www.thefp.com/p/meet-the-top-war-skeptic-inside-the-trump-pentagon-elbridge-colby?utm_source=cbs_news&utm_campaign=cbs_news_recirculation&utm_content=bottom_page)   Meet the Top War Skeptic Inside the Trump Pentagon  ()        In: (https://www.cbsnews.com/tag/kim-jong-un/) Kim Jong Un  (https://www.cbsnews.com/tag/missile-test/) Missile Test  (https://www.cbsnews.com/tag/south-korea/) South Korea  (https://www.cbsnews.com/tag/donald-trump/) Donald Trump  (https://www.cbsnews.com/tag/missile-launch/) Missile Launch  (https://www.cbsnews.com/tag/north-korea/) North Korea      © 2026 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.        (Video: North Korea launches missiles as Trump seeks Kim Jong Un meeting this year)   (https://www.cbsnews.com/video/north-korea-fires-missiles-as-trump-eyes-kim-jong-un-meeting-this-year/)    North Korea launches missiles as Trump seeks Kim Jong Un meeting this year 03:45    North Korea launches missiles as Trump seeks Kim Jong Un meeting this year  (03:45)     (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-war-us-sanctions-china/?intcid=CNR-01-0623)   Will the U.S. sanctions against Iran work if they don't include China?  ()     (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jason-watson-charged-trump-criticism-air-force-article-88/?intcid=CNR-01-0623)   U.S. airman faces charges for criticizing Trump over Iran war  ()     (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-postpones-lunar-launch-mission-fails-to-meet-launch-conditions/?intcid=CNR-01-0623)   China postpones moon launch as mission fails to meet launch conditions  ()     (https://www.thefp.com/p/what-trumps-north-korea-policy-tells?utm_source=cbs_news&utm_campaign=cbs_news_recirculation&utm_content=right_rail)   Fire and Fury 2.0: What Trump’s North Korea Policy Tells Us About Iran  ()                               Featured  (https://www.cbsnews.com/politics/) Political News  (https://www.cbsnews.com/us-iran-tensions/) Iran War Latest  (https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-hot-seat-2026-players-coaches-all-32-teams/) NFL Hot Seat 2026  (https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/buss-family-sells-lakers-stake-ending-era/) Lakers Ownership   Follow Us On  (https://www.youtube.com/CBSNews/) YouTube  (https://www.facebook.com/CBSNews/) Facebook  (https://instagram.com/cbsnews/) Instagram  (https://x.com/CBSNews/) X   Privacy  (https://www.viacomcbsprivacy.com/policy) Privacy Policy  (https://privacy.paramount.com/en/policy#additional-information-us-states) California Notice  (index.html#onetrust-pc-sdk) Your Privacy Choices  (https://legal.paramount.com/us/en/cbsi/terms-of-use) Terms of Use  (https://privacy.paramount.com/childrens) Minors' Privacy Policy   More from CBS News  (https://www.cbsnews.com/newsletters/) Newsletters  (https://www.cbsnews.com/podcasts/) Podcasts  (https://www.cbsnews.com/app/) Download Our App  (https://www.cbsnews.com/brandstudio/) Brand Studio  (https://www.cbsnews.com/sitemap/) Sitemap   Company  (https://www.paramount.com/about/) About Paramount  (https://www.paramount.com/about/businesses/advertising) Advertise With Paramount  (https://pages.beamery.com/paramount/page/cbsnewsstations) Join Our Talent Community  (https://help.cbsnews.com/s/) Help  (https://www.cbs.com/showfeedback/) Feedback  (https://ombudsman.cbsnews.com/) Contact the Ombudsman    Copyright ©2026 CBS Interactive Inc. 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