Trump Says He Will Meet Kim Soon, Faults 60% Oil-Reliant South Korea Over Drills

3 articles · Updated · PBS NewsHour · Aug 19

Trump said he expects to meet Kim Jong Un soon, again calling their relationship strong while criticizing joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises he has already ordered scaled back.
South Korea drew his added ire over the Strait of Hormuz after Trump said Seoul declined to help despite getting 60% of its oil through the waterway.
Kim Yo Jong said she knew of no communication between Trump and her brother, dismissed his call to reduce drills as "unworthy of comment," but still described the Trump-Kim relationship as excellent.
Hudson Institute fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs said the drills are meant to deter North Korea, not provoke it, and argued the alliance should hold despite Trump's public criticism.
The exchange underscored a broader pattern in which Trump has pressed allies over Iran, trade and security even as his administration deepens defense cooperation with partners including South Korea.