North Korea fired several ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Thursday, according to South Korea’s military, a day after Pyongyang dismissed a reduction in joint U.S.–South Korean military training as insufficient. Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in North Korea’s ruling party and sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said the character of the drills would remain unchanged despite their reduced scope, citing earlier U.S. and South Korean exercises and South Korea’s development of nuclear‑powered submarines. North Korea had warned it would respond with a “new level of deterrent” and had already launched two missiles earlier this month. The exchange follows a pattern of diplomatic tension dating to 2019, when peace talks between Trump and Kim collapsed over disputes about sanctions relief. Kim said relations between her brother and former President Donald Trump remain close, though she said she is not aware of any communication between them after Trump cut the drills by roughly half this month. In September, Kim indicated he would be open to renewed talks if the United States abandoned its “obsession” with eliminating North Korea’s nuclear weapons, while also pursuing closer military ties with Russia. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said the reduced training has led him to call for South Korea to regain full control of its military operations from the United States, even though Trump stated the policy would keep South Korea and Japan safe and urged other Asian nations to increase defense spending. The missile launch highlights the diplomatic friction caused by the change in U.S. military posture, and the prospects for further dialogue remain unclear.