WorldDonald Trump appears to be rethinking how he deals with countries that have challenged him most. With Iran’s leadership still resisting after months of strikes, he is trying a different approach toward North Korea: scaling back military drills with South Korea, highlighting his relationship with Kim Jong Un and considering whether to abandon the goal of complete North Korean disarmament. The shift raises questions about whether he is moving from force toward deals.
WorldSouth Korea and the United States have concluded their biggest annual military exercises. Donald Trump is pushing to reduce joint drills and seeking another meeting with Kim Jong Un, raising concerns about the potential cost for Seoul.
WorldSouth Korea says North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday. The launches followed Donald Trump’s suggestion that he could meet Kim Jong Un this year, while Pyongyang mocked Seoul as a US “servant”. They came during a shortened Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise by South Korea and the United States.
WorldNorth Korea launches missiles while the United States and South Korea conduct joint military exercises. South Korea convenes its security council to discuss Pyongyang’s latest launches and urges the North to stop provocations. The program also covers Wang Yi’s call for closer China-South Korea ties and Taiwan’s proposed record defense budget for 2027.
WorldPresident Trump says he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year. The announcement came a day after Trump curtailed joint military exercises with South Korea, while North Korea fired a barrage of missiles toward the sea.
PoliticsChina's top diplomat Wang Yi urged South Korea not to choose between Beijing and Washington. He made the remarks during a Seoul meeting with South Korean national security adviser Wi Sung-lac, after talks with President Lee Jae Myung.
WorldSeoul says North Korea launched more than 10 ballistic missiles toward the East Sea. South Korea ordered an immediate halt, calling the launches a grave violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
WorldNorth Korea fired a barrage of ballistic missiles toward the sea on Thursday, South Korea’s military said. The launch came a day after Pyongyang dismissed a U.S. decision to scale back military drills with South Korea, an apparent effort to revive diplomacy.
The Associated Press
WorldPresident Trump says he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year and claims North Korea has 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons. Brenda Goh examines the developments.
Reuters
WorldPeople across South Korea are participating in annual evacuation exercises and emergency drills. The tests come days after US President Donald Trump ordered cuts to joint military exercises between the two countries, with reporting from Seoul.
WorldNorth Korea says Donald Trump’s decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea “changes nothing.” Critics condemned the Trump administration’s surprise pullback from the planned drills, saying it again shows the US turning its back on allies and damaging its international credibility.
WorldUS President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he plans to meet Kim Jong Un later this year, aiming to revive what he says was a relationship forged with the nuclear-armed North Korean leader during his first term.
WorldSouth Korea is holding a nationwide civil defense drill for a possible air raid. The 20-minute exercise begins at 2 p.m. local time, with pedestrians directed to shelters or underground areas and traffic halted on some roads.
Reuters
PoliticsSouth Korea and the United States will shorten their annual joint military drills from 11 days to five and reduce some field training after Donald Trump ordered a substantial cut in US participation. Former US diplomat Henry Haggard says Trump believes his relationship with Kim Jong Un could produce a diplomatic breakthrough.
PoliticsTrump said artificial intelligence could be discussed during Xi Jinping’s visit on September 24, claiming the United States is far ahead of China in the field. The US announced sanctions on the ICC president and a senior court lawyer. White House documents detailed contacts between a Chinese woman allegedly linked directly to China’s intelligence services and a former congressman. The US and South Korea will also end their annual military exercise early, on August 21.
VOA Chinese
PoliticsThe August 20 edition of VOA Focus covers the US and South Korea announcing an early end to their joint exercises, while President Trump says he will meet Kim Jong Un. It also reports calls from US lawmakers to reverse the decision, a new White House national security science and technology strategy, the imminent arrival of the first US F-16V Block 70 jets in Taiwan, and questions whether technology used by China’s star robot dog came from the US military.
VOA Chinese
PoliticsDonald Trump says he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this year. His comments came days after he said he had ordered US forces to scale back joint drills with South Korea, calling them an “inappropriate and hostile” signal to Pyongyang.
PoliticsPresident Trump told reporters that he expects to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year. The comments came shortly after he announced that military exercises with South Korea would be scaled back.
NBC News
PoliticsPresident Donald Trump said he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He made the remark while speaking informally with reporters after touring construction on the South Lawn, alongside comments about last-minute negotiations with the Canadian government.
The Associated Press
PoliticsPresident Trump announced on Truth Social that the US would “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea. He pointed to his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while accusing South Korea of not helping the US in its war with Iran, remarks that suggest major new cracks in the alliance.
BBC News
WorldThe United States and South Korea will halve the duration of their joint drills after an order from Trump. Seoul says the exercise will still meet its objectives and preserve the combined defence posture.
WorldSouth Korea held a civil defense drill in Seoul on August 19 as part of the annual Ulchi exercise. About 240 military, police, firefighting and local-government personnel simulated responses to threats at a hotel, including a bomb threat, chemical attack, fire and drone attack. Seoul and Washington also shortened the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise from 11 days to five, ending it on August 21.
VOA Chinese
WorldThe United States and South Korea are shortening their annual joint drills at the US president’s request. The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which began on Aug 17 and was planned to last 11 days, will end on Aug 21—five days earlier than scheduled. Possible reasons for Donald Trump’s sudden decision are examined.
WorldSouth Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun says Donald Trump is trying to pressure Seoul into joining the war with Iran. Large-scale military drills between the allies have been halved and will end a week early after Trump ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce its involvement. Political analyst Joe Siracusa offers analysis.