
August 21st, 2026
The U.S. and South Korean militaries ended their Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise on Friday.
They finished six days early.
President Donald Trump ordered the drill to be smaller.
He said this before it started on Monday.
He talked about his friendship with Kim Jong Un.
He also talked about South Korea's position on the Iran war.
The exercise was set for 11 days.
It had two parts.
The second part was about counterattacks.
The two countries agreed to cut field training.
They went from 14 exercises to seven.
South Korea's military said this.
Kim Yo Jong is Kim Jong Un's sister.
She did not like Trump's move.
She said this on Wednesday.
She called the smaller drill "provocative" and "aggressive."
The next day, North Korea fired about 10 short-range missiles.
They went toward the sea.
The U.S. Pacific Command said these events were not a danger.
They said there was no threat to U.S. land or friends.
Kim Yo Jong's words made new talks less likely.
Trump and Kim Jong Un talked about nuclear weapons before.
Those talks stopped in 2019.
Since then, Kim Jong Un made more weapons.
He also became friends with Russia.
Kim Yo Jong spoke in a careful way.
This means North Korea may want talks later.
But they want more things.
They want to be called a nuclear state.
They want less punishment for their actions.
August 21st, 2026

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