Trump Halves South Korea Drills, Renews Kim Meeting Push
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- Trump scaled back the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield joint drills with South Korea to five days, citing his relationship with Kim Jong Un and South Korea's refusal to support US operations in Iran, where he noted 39,000 US troops are stationed in South Korea.
- Kim Yo Jong said she was "completely unaware" of Trump's claims that the two sides were communicating, dismissed the reduced drills as still provocative, and North Korea followed with missile launches on Thursday.
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung proposed replacing the 1950-53 Korean War armistice with a formal peace arrangement two days before Trump's announcement, though Seoul's foreign minister said the government was not informed in advance of the drill reduction.
- North Korea's foreign revenue surged from arms sales and troop deployments supporting Russia's war in Ukraine, with projected earnings up to US$14.4 billion from August 2023 to December 2024 — though South Korea's INSS estimated only 4-19.6% of that was actually received, and the economy grew over 3% for a third straight year in 2025.
- Analysts at RSIS and CSIS said Trump is seeking a foreign policy win ahead of November mid-term elections after a "lacklustre" track record on Iran, with CSIS Korea Chair Dr Victor Cha calling the drill cut "a concrete action rather than just words."
Why it matters: The drill cut hands Kim a long-standing demand — reduced allied exercises — without securing any firm commitment from Pyongyang to return to talks, and Kim Yo Jong's immediate dismissal suggests the gesture buys Trump domestic political cover more than actual diplomacy. For Seoul, the unilateral move signals Trump can withhold 39,000 US troops and joint exercises over disagreements on Iran, while Lee's separate peace overture opens a lane for the allies to coordinate rather than be blindsided again.
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