US President Donald Trump said on Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had responded to his recent diplomatic overtures, without disclosing details of the exchange. His comments came a day after he ordered the Pentagon to significantly scale back joint military exercises with South Korea.
Trump said his relationship with Kim had made the situation on the Korean Peninsula “much safer” and described their latest communication as positive. He added that Kim had always treated him with respect and said the two leaders understood each other.
The comments followed Trump’s decision to reduce the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises with South Korea, which began on Monday and involve about 18,000 South Korean troops. Trump has described the drills as costly and unnecessarily provocative, while also criticizing Seoul for not supporting the US war against Iran.
South Korean officials said the exercises would proceed as planned and stressed that they are defensive in nature. President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday reaffirmed the importance of the US-South Korea alliance while calling for stronger South Korean defence capabilities.
South Korea has also expressed hope that Trump’s relationship with Kim could help revive diplomatic engagement between Washington and Pyongyang. However, North Korea has shown little public interest in returning to talks and has continued to strengthen its military ties with Russia and China.
North Korea has routinely condemned US-South Korean military exercises as preparations for an attack. Earlier this month, Pyongyang warned that the drills could strengthen its justification for expanding its nuclear deterrence and criticised growing military cooperation among the United States, South Korea and Japan.
Trump and Kim held three high-profile meetings during Trump’s first presidency, but diplomacy broke down in 2019 without an agreement on denuclearisation. Since then, North Korea has expanded its nuclear and missile capabilities and deepened its strategic relationship with Russia.
Trump’s latest outreach therefore marks a renewed attempt to use personal diplomacy with Kim, but it remains unclear whether the reduction in military exercises will lead to substantive negotiations or concessions from Pyongyang.
