סכסוכים · North Korea fires missilesNorth Korea Fires Missiles After Trump Orders US-South Korea Drills Cut Shortנכתב 7 בספטמבר 2026 בשעה 21:22 UTCצפייהתמליל0:00At about 5:00 p.m. local time on August0:0220th, North Korea fired a barrage of0:04short-range ballistic missiles east from0:06the Pyongyang area into the Sea of0:08Japan, landing outside Japan's0:09territorial waters and outside Japan's0:11exclusive economic zone with no damage0:13to vessels or aircraft reported. The0:15launch landed in the middle of a newly0:17shortened alliance exercise and a0:18disputed nuclear count. The missiles0:20flew a short arc [music] hugging the0:22northeastern coast about 300 km in one0:25tracking estimate and about 320 [music]0:27in another, reaching about 90 km0:29altitude before splashing down outside0:31[music] Japan's waters. The difference0:33between around 10 and around a dozen is0:35approximate battle tracking, not two0:37separate events.0:38Official phrasing converges on around0:4010, [music] believed to be 600-mm0:42multiple rocket launchers of the KN-250:44type.0:46South Korea convened an emergency0:48National Security Council meeting,0:50condemned the launches as violating0:51United Nations Security Council0:53resolutions, and held a coordination0:55call with the United States and Japan.0:57Japan's Coast Guard issued alerts. The0:59drill had been planned as an 11-day1:01command post and field training [music]1:03exercise from August 17 to August 271:05with about 18,000 South Korean soldiers1:08and thousands of US troops across1:10roughly 14 field events, down from 171:12the previous year, designed to sharpen1:14readiness from drones to cyber and GPS1:16disruption.1:17At about 5:00 p.m. Eastern on August1:2016th, a Truth Social post instructed1:22Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to1:24substantially reduce it because1:25cancellation was no longer possible,1:27describing the maneuvers as costly and1:29largely paid for by the United States,1:31and as sending an inappropriate and1:33hostile signal [music] to a North Korea1:34described as unthreatening and1:35respectful given a very good1:37relationship with Kim Jong Un. After the1:39order, the exercise was cut to five days1:41ending Friday, August 21, [music] six1:44days early, with the second phase1:45counterattack largely dropped and field1:47events roughly halved, and some live1:49training converted to simulations.1:52Adjustments preserve essential readiness1:54and training objectives with no1:55degradation. The reduction was at1:57Washington's request with no advance1:59notice to Seoul or to some US officials2:01before the post. At the White House on2:03August 19th and 20, the figure put2:05forward for the arsenal was 57 very2:08powerful nuclear weapons, the first2:10specific number offered. South Korea's2:12Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back told the2:14National Assembly Defense Committee on2:16August 20 that the typical estimate is2:1880 to 120, noting the figures appear2:21somewhat different and that Seoul cannot2:23formally acknowledge a nuclear armed2:25status.2:26Independent analysis often places2:28assembled warheads around 50 to 60 with2:30material for about 30 more. That2:32distinction helps explain the gap2:34between account of finished devices and2:36account of potential weapons from2:37material stocks. No declassified2:40intelligence accompanied the 57 figure.2:42The exercises date to the 1950 to 19532:45Korean War and the 1953 armistice with2:49the mutual defense treaty in force since2:511954. About 28,500 US troops are2:55stationed in South Korea as a tripwire2:57under extended deterrence.2:58South Korea contributes about 1.523:01trillion won, roughly 1.1 to 1.2 billion3:04dollars, for hosting under the 2026 to3:062030 special measures agreement with no3:09public itemized US share of specific3:10exercise costs published. This August3:13iteration was underway during the3:14ongoing war with Iran and a separate3:16South China Sea Fleet issue. Transcripts3:19render the annual pair as Freedom3:21Guardian and Freedom Shield in March and3:23August. Three meetings in the first term3:25in Vietnam, Singapore, and the3:26demilitarized zone produced no deal on3:28denuclearization. The current plan3:30envisions a meeting later in 2026 during3:33fall Asia trips. Kim Yo-jong affirmed3:35the personal relationship remains3:36excellent while dismissing the outreach3:38as unworthy of comment. In Seoul, the3:40presidential office initially said3:42drills would proceed as planned and the3:43last call was in May, denying a recent3:46request on Iran, while the defense3:48minister and national security advisor3:49stressed interest in ceasefire and3:51freedom of navigation discussions. No3:53verified sole quote of no thanks exists3:56and no date, venue, or agenda for a new3:58meeting has been set. A separate claim4:00of threatening Iran with economic4:02warfare and a Canada trade deal averting4:04tariffs remains without official4:05confirmation in this period. The barrage4:07is the third missile related activity in4:10August after launches around August 6th4:12and 12th from the Wonsan area that flew4:14about 700 km. It occurred while China's4:17Foreign Minister Wang Yi was meeting4:18President Lee Jae-myung in Seoul. The4:21early end on August 21 and the4:22mid-August remarks about meeting Kim in4:24the fall frame the next test. Whether4:26diplomacy fills the space where field4:28training was canceled or the next alert4:30comes without the rehearsal meant to4:31prevent a miscalculation for the 28,5004:33stationed Americans, the 18,0004:36mobilized South Koreans, and millions4:37living within 300 km of the launch4:39point. About 28,500 [music]4:41US troops remain stationed in South4:43Korea, a figure higher political remarks4:45have overstated [music]4:46and older counts of near 27,000 have4:48understated.4:50South Korea's contribution for hosting4:52is not an itemized exercise bill.4:54>> [music]4:54>> Whether shaving 6 days and having field4:56events off an 11-day exercise preserves4:58readiness through simulations and5:00whether 57 counts only assembled5:02warheads while 80 to 120 counts total5:05material potential remain unresolved.5:08Like and follow for more stories that5:10matter.קריאת הכתבהציר הזמן של הסיפורHeyDexהסרטון הקצר ↗
