South Korea Seeks US-North Korea Talks as Trump Cuts 11-Day Military Drills
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 17
South Korea Seeks US-North Korea Talks as Trump Cuts 11-Day Military Drills
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 17
Summary
Seoul said Monday it hopes Donald Trump’s order to substantially reduce the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises can open “meaningful dialogue” with Pyongyang and spur talks on peace and stability.
Trump framed the drills as costly and unnecessarily hostile to North Korea, citing his relationship with Kim Jong Un, while the 11-day exercise still began as scheduled and officials did not say which parts would be cut.
18,000 South Korean troops were set to join training that included live-fire precision targeting, wet-gap crossing and lessons from North Korea’s battlefield experience tied to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Conservatives in South Korea said Lee Jae Myung was downplaying security risks, and analysts warned scaling back joint drills could erode readiness, alliance coordination and deterrence against North Korea.
Kim has shunned talks since Trump-era diplomacy collapsed in 2019, and experts say a North Korean return is unlikely without major US concessions as Pyongyang expands its nuclear arsenal and ties with Russia.