Trump scales back South Korea drills, claims Kim responded
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- Trump said Kim Jong Un responded to his outreach request, telling reporters at the Oval Office on Monday that the exchange was "very positive" but providing no further detail.
- Trump instructed the Pentagon on Sunday to "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with South Korea, calling them "costly" and sending a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal.
- Trump linked the drill reduction to South Korea's refusal to help with the US-Israel war on Iran, noting 39,000 US soldiers are stationed there guarding against Kim.
- South Korea's presidential office said the drills have begun as planned and do not reflect "any intention to attack North Korea or escalate tensions," with President Lee Jae Myung calling their purpose defensive.
- North Korea has significantly strengthened ties with Russia since Trump and Kim last met in 2019, with North Korean troops fighting alongside Moscow in Ukraine and North Korean-made missiles used in a Russian attack on a Zaporizhzhia steel plant.
- Victor Cha of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said North Korea would likely "bide their time and wait," and suggested part of Trump's motivation was to shift headlines away from struggles with the Iran war.
Why it matters: Trump's claim of a Kim response, made with no North Korean confirmation, coincides with a Pentagon-ordered cut to allied drills — moves he explicitly framed as punishment for Seoul's refusal to join the Iran war. With Kim's sister having previously dismissed personal-relationship diplomacy and analysts expecting Pyongyang to stall, the outreach looks as much aimed at redirecting attention from Iran as at reviving nuclear talks.
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