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Trump calls to cut US-South Korea drills amid new Kim summit speculation
Analysts said the comment follows the start of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, leaving Seoul to manage alliance defense while avoiding undermining Trump’s overtures to Kim.
South Korea faces a delicate balancing act after US President Donald Trump called for the US and South Korea to substantially reduce their military drills, a move that has revived speculation he wants North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to rejoin summit talks.
Trump made the remarks in a Sunday social media post as South Korea and the US began their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise on Monday. In the post, he criticized the drills as costly and described them as an inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea, while also noting his relationship with Kim.
Analysts cited by SCMP Economy said Trump appears to be seeking talks with Kim as a foreign policy win, but they expect limited chances for progress. They pointed to North Korea’s growing alignment with Russia and China, its continued nuclear ambitions, and its distrust of Washington after the failed Hanoi summit in February 2019.
SCMP Economy also noted that Trump has repeatedly posted images of his earlier meetings with Kim at inter-Korean sites such as Panmunjom in 2019, and referenced their Singapore 2018 summit and the Hanoi 2019 meeting as further fuel for renewed interest in rekindling ties.