North Korea's Kim Yo Jong Calls South Korean Drills a Provocation

28 June 2024, South Korea, Jeju: A Super Hornet fighter jet taking part in the first multidomain exercise of Freedom Edge held by South Korea, the United States and Japan in international waters, south of South Korea's southern island of Jeju. /US Navy vs YNA/dpa
28 June 2024, South Korea, Jeju: A Super Hornet fighter jet taking part in the first multidomain exercise of Freedom Edge held by South Korea, the United States and Japan in international waters, south of South Korea's southern island of Jeju. /US Navy vs YNA/dpa
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North Korea's Kim Yo Jong Calls South Korean Drills a Provocation

28 June 2024, South Korea, Jeju: A Super Hornet fighter jet taking part in the first multidomain exercise of Freedom Edge held by South Korea, the United States and Japan in international waters, south of South Korea's southern island of Jeju. /US Navy vs YNA/dpa
28 June 2024, South Korea, Jeju: A Super Hornet fighter jet taking part in the first multidomain exercise of Freedom Edge held by South Korea, the United States and Japan in international waters, south of South Korea's southern island of Jeju. /US Navy vs YNA/dpa

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said South Korea's recent military drills near the border between the two nations are an inexcusable and explicit provocation, according to a report from state media KCNA on Monday.

Kim Yo Jong also accused Yoon of creating tensions on the Korean peninsula to divert public attention away from his poor performance in domestic politics. She cited an online petition calling for Yoon to be impeached, with more than 1 million signatures.

Kim said that in case North Korea judges its own sovereignty as violated, its armed forces will immediately carry out mission and duty according to its constitution.

The South Korean military has resumed live-fire artillery drills near the western maritime border in late June, the first time since 2018.

Last month, South Korea said it would suspend a military agreement signed with North Korea in 2018 aimed at easing tensions, in protest against North Korea's trash balloon launches toward the South.



After Putin Is a No-Show at Talks in Türkiye, Trump Says He’ll Meet the Russian Leader Soon 

US President Donald Trump speaks as he attends a business forum at Qasr Al Watan during the final stop of his Gulf visit, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 16, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump speaks as he attends a business forum at Qasr Al Watan during the final stop of his Gulf visit, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 16, 2025. (Reuters)
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After Putin Is a No-Show at Talks in Türkiye, Trump Says He’ll Meet the Russian Leader Soon 

US President Donald Trump speaks as he attends a business forum at Qasr Al Watan during the final stop of his Gulf visit, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 16, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump speaks as he attends a business forum at Qasr Al Watan during the final stop of his Gulf visit, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 16, 2025. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump said Friday he's moving to set up direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as he can.

Trump's push for a face-to-face meeting comes after Putin opted to skip talks between Russia and Ukraine set for Friday in Türkiye.

“I think it’s time for us to just do it,” Trump told reporters as he wrapped a four-day visit to the Middle East.

He reiterated that he wasn’t surprised that Putin skipped out on the talks. Putin didn’t want to go because he’s not there, Trump said.

He added that he would hold a meeting with Putin “as soon as we can set it up.”

“I would actually leave here and go,” said Trump, who noted his daughter Tiffany just gave birth to her first child. “I do want to see my beautiful grandson.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to take part in the talks as Trump pressed for the leaders to find a solution. But Putin spurned the call to meet face-to-face with Zelenskyy.

Trump has pressed both sides to quickly come to a war-ending agreement. Zelenskyy has agreed to an American plan for an initial 30-day halt to hostilities, but Russia has not signed on and has continued to strike at targets inside Ukraine.

Still, Russia and Ukraine are to hold their first direct peace talks in three years Friday, gathering in Istanbul for negotiations. Officials and observers expect them to yield little immediate progress on stopping the more than 3-year war.

“He didn’t go, and I understand that,” Trump said. “We’re going to get it done. We got to get it done. Five thousand young people are being killed every single week on average, and we’re going to get it done.”

Trump on Thursday told reporters that a meeting between himself and Putin was crucial to breaking the deadlock.

“I don’t believe anything’s going to happen whether you like it or not, until he and I get together,” he said. “But we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying.”