Trump Orders Scale-Back of Korea-U.S. Drills... Blue House: "Hope North Korea-U.S. Leaders' Friendly Ties Lead to Dialogue"

Trump: "Kim Jong Un and I Have a Very Good Relationship"

Orders Secretary Hegseth to Scale Back South Korea-U.S. Joint Exercises

Blue House: "Will Cooperate on Concrete Matters Concerning This Issue"

On the 17th, the Blue House commented on U.S. President Donald Trump's order to reduce the scale of the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, saying, "We hope that the friendly relationship between the leaders of North Korea and the United States will lead to meaningful dialogue between North Korea and the United States, paving the way for discussions aimed at advancing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."

Earlier, on the 16th (local time), President Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social, "Given that Chairman Kim Jong Un of North Korea and I have established a very good relationship, I don't like the fact that the United States has long agreed to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea." He added, "I have instructed Secretary Pete Hegseth to drastically reduce the scale of the joint exercises."

On December 29, 2025, as President Jaemyung Lee commuted to the Blue House, marking the official start of the Blue House era again after 3 years and 7 months, the phoenix flag was raised at the Seoul Blue House. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

President Trump's remarks come ahead of Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise scheduled to run from the 17th to the 27th. President Trump also expressed negative views on the exercises following the June 2018 Singapore summit between North Korea and the United States, stating, "We don't need to spend money on joint exercises while negotiating with North Korea."

In this context, a Blue House official stated, "We will make necessary diplomatic efforts as a facilitator under close South Korea-U.S. cooperation," adding, "Both countries have closely coordinated on maintaining a firm combined defense posture, as well as on joint exercises and training, and will continue to work together on specific details going forward."

Meanwhile, President Trump said, "It's a bit of a separate topic, but I asked President Lee of South Korea whether he is willing to participate in efforts to denuclearize Iran, and they said, 'No thanks!'"

A Blue House official responded, "The government has actively participated in the international community's discussions for a ceasefire in Iran and the restoration of freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz," emphasizing that "based on deterrence on the Korean Peninsula, procedures under domestic law, and other factors, we are closely discussing practical and military contribution options with the United States."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.