North Korea Test Fires Missiles As Kim Jong Un’s Sister Says She’s ‘Unaware’ Of Any Talks With Trump

BreakingBusinessNorth Korea Test Fires Missiles As Kim Jong Un’s Sister Says She’s ‘Unaware’ Of Any Talks With TrumpBySiladitya Ray,Forbes Staff. Siladitya Ray is a New Delhi-based Forbes news team reporter.Follow AuthorAug 20, 2026, 06:40am EDTToplineNorth Korea on Thursday test-fired several ballistic missiles on Thursday amid ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military drills, as Kim Yo-jong—the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un—dismissed Trump’s remarks about scaling back the exercise as an overture to Pyongyang and said she is “unaware” of any recent talks between Trump and Kim.Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, attends a reception in the Great Hall of People following a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing.AFP via Getty ImagesKey FactsThe South Korean military on Thursday said it had detected the launch of at least 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on its eastern coast—and labeled the launch as a provocation, according to Yonhap News Agency. The launches came hours after Trump said he plans to meet the North Korean leader sometime later this year—although its unclear if any discussions have been made with Pyongyang in this regard.The president also claimed that North Korea possessed 57 “very powerful nuclear weapons” in its arsenal—marking the first time the U.S. has publicly stated an official count—and said it should have never been allowed to happen.Trump also said he gets along “very well” with Kim and claimed that the North Korean leader didn’t like his predecessors, Biden and Obama, but likes him.The president, however, refused to say if he plans to push for North Korea’s denuclearization, noting only that Kim will be “fine as long as we have a smart president.” if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { va...