North Korea fires unidentified projectile: South Korea military

North Korea fired at least one unidentified projectile, South Korea's military said Thursday, hours after US President Donald Trump said he would meet Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong Un later this year.

The office of Japan's prime minister posted on X that it was a suspected ballistic missile.

Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, seeking to revive the bond he claims to have forged with the leader of nuclear-armed North Korea in his first term.

He also said it was important to "get along" with Kim, adding in an unusually precise assessment that Pyongyang now had 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons.

Hours later, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff told AFP that the North fired at least one "unidentified projectile", without giving further details.

Trump's sudden focus on Kim and his scaling back of joint US-South Korean military drills have alarmed Asian allies -- while sparking speculation that he is seeking a foreign policy win as his Iran war stalls.

The powerful sister of Kim Jong Un said Wednesday she didn't know about the reported communication between her brother and Trump.

Kim Yo Jong nevertheless said her brother still had "good memories and feelings" about Trump and that the relationship between the two leaders remains "excellent".

Earlier Wednesday, Seoul's military said the drills would wrap up on Friday, not on August 27 as originally planned, "at the suggestion of the US side".

South Korea's defense minister said Thursday that North Korea is estimated to have around 80 to 120 nuclear weapons.