U.S. President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had responded to his recent initiatives, a day after the White House announced a reduction in military exercises with South Korea and Trump praised his relationship with the North Korean leader.
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Trump said he was making the situation “much safer” through his relationship with Kim, whom he met three times during his first presidential term.
However, the two have not held a meeting during Trump’s non-consecutive second term.
While praising the leader of nuclear-armed North Korea, Trump criticized U.S. ally South Korea over its failure to support Washington in the war against Iran, which the Republican billionaire says is aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear bomb.
Asked why Kim had not responded to his requests for talks since Trump returned to the White House last year, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: “How do you know he hasn’t responded?” When pressed on whether Kim had in fact responded, Trump said: “Yes, he did.”
Asked about the status of his talks with Kim, Trump said they were “very positive,” without providing further details.
Trump then praised Kim, saying their relationship had helped reduce tensions.
“I’m actually making things much safer. Kim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect,” Trump said, adding: “I understand him. He understands me.”
“It’s Strange”
Trump criticized Seoul in a post on his Truth Social platform late Sunday, unexpectedly announcing that he had ordered the War Department to reduce the scale of annual military exercises with South Korea.
Trump described the annual joint drills, which simulate a response to a North Korean attack on South Korea, as “inappropriate and hostile.”
He linked the decision to South Korea’s refusal to provide assistance in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
“We have 39,000 troops there protecting you from your neighbor Kim Jong Un, and you’re not going to help us with a very easy military operation in Iran. It’s strange,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
Trump again questioned the value of U.S. support for South Korea and NATO allies that refused to become involved in the war in Iran.
“We can’t go around the world protecting all these countries, especially when they don’t help us,” he said.
South Korean officials said the drills had begun as scheduled and expressed hope that the “friendly relationship between the leaders of the United States and North Korea will lead to constructive dialogue.”
On Tuesday, Seoul’s presidential office said the exercises did not reflect “any intention to attack North Korea or escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”
It added that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung had reiterated that their primary goal was “not to treat a specific entity as an enemy, but to ensure the safe and peaceful daily lives of citizens.”
North Korea has made no public comment, although Pyongyang routinely expresses anger over U.S.-South Korean military exercises.
Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, called Trump’s order “absurd,” saying China and Russia were “watching how easily this president is willing to abandon America’s allies.”
“This is another absurd and arbitrary decision by President Trump and his chaotic administration,” Reed said in a statement.
Concern in Asia
The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which began Monday, are taking place amid growing ties between Pyongyang and Moscow. North Korea has provided military support, including ground troops, to Russia in its war in Ukraine.
U.S.-South Korean Combined Forces Command spokesman Colonel Ryan Donald said the exercises would simulate combat against North Korean forces that had gained significant battlefield experience through their participation in the war in Ukraine.
The South Korean presidential office said in a statement received by AFP that South Korea had “maintained close coordination with the United States on maintaining a strong combined defense posture, as well as on their joint training and exercises, and will continue to coordinate closely.”
Pyongyang has condemned the drills, describing them as preparations for an invasion.
North Korea recently conducted a ballistic missile launch over the Sea of Japan and warned on Friday that it could respond to the exercises with “a new level of deterrence.”
During his first term, Trump announced after his first meeting with Kim in Singapore in June 2018 that the United States would halt “provocative” military exercises.
The United States has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea to strengthen the country’s defenses against military threats from Pyongyang.
Trump’s stance is part of a series of blows he has delivered to traditional U.S. allies since returning to the White House in 2025, including NATO.
