North Korea Denounces U.S.-South Korea Military Drill Ignoring Trump’s Overtures To Kim

BreakingBusinessNorth Korea Denounces U.S.-South Korea Military Drill Ignoring Trump’s Overtures To KimBySiladitya Ray,Forbes Staff. Siladitya Ray is a New Delhi-based Forbes news team reporter.Follow AuthorAug 19, 2026, 05:20am EDTToplineNorth Korea on Wednesday denounced an ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military drill and warned it is prepared to “completely neutralize” threats from its “enemies” despite President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back the exercise and reported push to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. A vehicle from U.S. Army's the Stryker Combat Team crosses a floating bridge on the Namhan River during the combined river-crossing drill between South Korea and the United States as a part of the Ulchi Freedom Shield.Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reservedKey FactsA commentary published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency said North Korea is fully prepared to exercise its right to “self-defense” and will continue to do so until the “enemy states give up their reckless dream” of using force.The commentary did not include any mention of Trump’s criticism of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise and his decision over the weekend to “substantially reduce” it.North Korea instead argued that the ongoing drills are “extremely dangerous” and “quite different” from previous years. Pyongyang also claimed that the drill was turning South Korea into a training ground and gathering place for aggressor forces from several nations and a “test ground of modern warfare.” if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.elements.video/player.js?cid=62cec241-7d09-4462-afc2-f72f8d8ef40a'; script.setAttribute('defer', '1'); script.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); iframeDoc.body.appendChild(script); };...