Trump says N Korea’s Kim has responded to his request for a conversation

US President Donald Trump says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has responded to his recent outreach, a day after ordering the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea. When asked by reporters at the Oval Office on Monday why Kim had not responded to his request for a conversation, Trump replied, “How do you know he hasn’t responded?” Pressed again, Trump said, “Yeah, he has.” The US president described the exchange as “very positive,” without providing further detail. Trump instructed the Pentagon to ‘substantially reduce’ the annual drills with South Korea, calling them ‘not only costly but send[ing] a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile’ to North Korea, which he said has been ‘unthreatening and respectful’ since he took office. He also linked the decision to Seoul’s refusal to help with the US-Israel war on Iran. Trump criticized South Korea at the Oval Office, stating, “We have 39,000 soldiers over there, guarding you from Kim Jong Un, your next-door neighbor, and you’re not going to help us on a very easy military operation in Iran. That’s strange.” South Korean officials confirmed the drills began as planned and reiterated that their purpose is to safeguard the daily lives of their people, not to target North Korea. Trump’s relationship with Kim Jong Un has been less emphasized in recent White House statements compared to his first term, when they met and exchanged letters before negotiations stalled in 2019 over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program. Trump has repeatedly signaled interest in reviving direct diplomacy with North Korea. Last year, Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, acknowledged that the personal relationship between Kim and Trump was ‘not bad,’ but she dismissed any hope that personal diplomacy could end North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, calling it ‘the subject of mockery.’ Trump said, ‘Kim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect. I understand him. He understands me.’ Analysts, such as Victor Cha from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, suggest North Korea may wait before responding further, partly to avoid shifting attention from Trump’s struggles with the Iran war, though they acknowledge Trump’s genuine interest in meeting Kim again. Since Trump’s first term, North Korea has strengthened ties with Russia and maintained close relations with China. North Korean troops have participated in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Kyiv reported that North Korean-made missiles were used in a Russian attack on a steel plant in Zaporizhzhia. Trump’s administration has criticized North Korea’s military support for Russia, but Trump stated on Monday, ‘Kim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect.’