Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
South Korea on Monday said it hopes diplomacy between the United States and North Korea can resume after US President Donald Trump said he had ordered the annual joint military exercises with South Korea to be scaled back. Trump linked the decision to his personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, while Seoul said it hoped that relationship would lead to fresh talks and help reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
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The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises began as scheduled on Monday morning, though it was not immediately clear which parts of the training would be reduced. Trump’s announcement caused unease in South Korea, where security remains a major concern because of nuclear-armed North Korea, which has long denounced the drills as a rehearsal for invasion.
In a social media post, Trump said the exercises were costly and “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea, which he said “has been unthreatening and respectful” during his time in the White House. He said he had instructed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” the drills, and added that he had recently asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung if South Korea would join the US in the “denuclearization” of Iran, “and they said, No thanks!” Trump has also criticised allies, including NATO members, over what he sees as a lack of support for his war against Iran. In South Korea, faith in the US has also been affected by a tariff war started by Trump’s administration and his transactional approach to security.
Later on Monday, Lee’s presidential office said South Korea hoped the “friendly relationship” between Trump and Kim would lead to “meaningful dialogue” between the US and North Korea and begin discussions on peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. It said South Korea would make the necessary diplomatic efforts. The office also said Seoul and Washington were closely discussing practical and military contributions to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and had been coordinating closely over their joint drills and military readiness.
Lee, a liberal leader who supports better ties with the North, has taken several steps since taking office last year to improve relations. His government turned off front-line loudspeakers that had broadcast K-pop and world news, and banned activists from sending propaganda leaflets into North Korea by balloon. On Saturday, Lee also offered talks to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
North Korea, however, has avoided talks with both South Korea and the US since Kim’s summit diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019. Since then, Kim has expanded his nuclear and missile programmes by speeding up weapons tests and increasing the production of nuclear materials. He has also strengthened ties with Russia over the war in Ukraine and moved to deepen cooperation with China. In September 2025, Kim said he had “good personal memories” of Trump, but suggested talks could resume only if the US dropped “its delusional obsession with denuclearization” of North Korea. Experts say Kim is likely seeking major concessions, including broad sanctions relief, in return for limited denuclearisation steps.
“Trump’s recent social media posts about Kim Jong Un suggest a willingness to reengage, but North Korea is busy profiting from Russia’s war against Ukraine while modernising its own military,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. Downsizing the US and South Korean drills “can damage alliance coordination, slow the process of South Korea taking on greater responsibility for its own defense, and weaken deterrence against possible conflicts in Asia”, he said.
South Korea’s military had said earlier that this year’s Ulchi Freedom Shield drills would be similar in scale to previous years, with about 18,000 South Korean soldiers taking part. The US military said the exercises would include lessons from recent conflicts, including North Korea’s battlefield experience in the Russia-Ukraine war, and would feature live-fire training to test joint precision targeting and manoeuvre, crossing water obstacles and the distribution of pre-positioned military equipment. On Friday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry accused the US and South Korea of planning more provocative drills this year and vowed to respond with “a new level of a deterrent”. Earlier this month, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea in a likely protest against the exercises.
This is not the first time Trump has moved against the drills. After his first summit with Kim in 2018, he unilaterally suspended the summertime exercises, calling them “very provocative” and “tremendously expensive”. Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said North Korea feels less urgency to return to talks now than it did in 2018, but is still unlikely to ignore Trump’s latest overture and may wait for further US steps showing a softer approach. North Korea did not immediately respond on Monday, leaving uncertainty over both the scale of the reduced drills and whether Trump’s move will lead to renewed diplomacy.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
