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 stated regarding U.S. President Donald Trump's order to scale down the joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises, "We hope that the friendly relations between the leaders of North Korea and the United States will lead to meaningful North Korea-U.S. dialogue, thereby initiating discussions aimed at advancing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."

Earlier, on the 16th (local time), President Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social, "Given the very good relationship I have with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un, I have never been fond of the fact that the United States has long agreed to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea," adding, "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 came ahead of the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) joint South Korea-U.S. exercises, which are scheduled to take place from the 17th to the 27th. Immediately after the June 2018 Singapore North Korea-U.S. summit, President Trump had also expressed negative views about the joint drills, saying, "Since negotiations with North Korea are underway, there is no need to spend money on joint exercises."

In relation to this, a Blue House official stated, "Under close South Korea-U.S. cooperation, we will continue to make necessary diplomatic efforts as a pacesetter," and added, "The two countries have continuously coordinated closely on maintaining a solid joint defense posture, as well as on joint exercises and training, and will continue to cooperate over the relevant specifics going forward."

Meanwhile, President Trump also said, "Although this is somewhat unrelated, I asked (President Jaemyung Lee) of South Korea if he would be willing to participate in Iran's denuclearization efforts, but they said, 'No thanks!'"

A Blue House official emphasized, "The government has actively taken part in international discussions aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Iran and restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," and added, "Taking into account deterrence on the Korean Peninsula and domestic legal procedures, we are closely discussing practical and military contribution measures with the U.S. side."

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