Trump Says North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Replied to Overtures

Facing Quagmire in Iran, Trump Turns to a Familiar Face: North Korea’s Kim Jong-un

Seven years ago, President Trump failed to disarm North Korea and walked away. Could the same thing happen with Iran?

Trump Hands North Korea’s Kim Jong Un a Massive Gift

President Trump on Sunday said he ordered the Pentagon to “significantly” reduce the amount of joint military exercises with South Korea, due to his “very good relationship” with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.“Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea. These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful,” he wrote Sunday evening on Truth Social.“I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!” he continued, attributing his decision to South Korea’s position on the Iran war.“While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, ‘No thanks!’”It’s unclear how the U.S. plans to reduce the exercises. The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise already proceeded as planned on Monday, the South Korean Defense Ministry confirmed—with 18,000 South Korean forces and 28,500 American ones.Nonetheless, Trump is spiting South Korea, a longtime ally, for not helping bail him out in Iran while also making a clear overture to the one country it has the most hostile and adversarial relationship with.“Trump’s description of the D.P.R.K. as ‘unthreatening and respectful’ is alarming to allies, who have watched the regime steadily improve its missile and nuclear capabilities, while also gaining an additional patron in Russia for its support in the war on Ukraine,” Asia Society Policy Institute Deputy Director Emma Chanlett-Avery told The New York Times.This is just the latest example of the deteriorating U.S.-South Korea relationship under Trump. South Korea has been hit by U.S. tariffs, had hundreds of its citizens (with valid work visas) detained in an immigration raid, and now has lost access to joint military exercizes—all while Trump praises Kim Jong Un and North Korea continues to expand its military capabilities.“For 70 years, America has held these joint exercises to train AND reassure its Asia-Pacific allies. Furthermore, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is NOT respectful of the USA, now or ever. In the past few months, he has blatantly said NoKo is and always will be a nuclear power, specifically to ward off any hostile action, like America and Israel’s war on Iran,” CNN’s Christiane Amanpour mused Monday on X.“He already has dozens of nukes, and in June, called for an ‘exponential’ expansion of Pyongyang’s arsenal. They’d already ramped up dramatically since Trump’s failed Hanoi summit with Kim in 2019, which I covered,” she continued. “Since then, Kim has ramped up missile testing, while his soldiers now have real battlefield experience since fighting for Russia against Ukraine. Respectful?”

Trump says he expects to meet with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un later this year

In an impromptu White House meeting with reporters, the president touted his relationship with Kim and said North Korea has “57 very powerful nuclear weapons.”

Trump Says North Korea's Kim Jong Un Treats Him With Great Respect

President Donald Trump said North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un had responded to requests for the two leaders to have a conversation, as Trump moved to cut back military drills with South Korea, a traditional US ally. Trump says Kim has always treated him with "great respect." (Source: Bloomberg)

Trump says he expects to meet with North Korea's Kim Jong Un this year

President Trump wants to meet again with Kim Jong Un to discuss denuclearization, the Wall Street Journal reports, despite having nothing to show for 3 previous summits.

Trump in contact with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un after scaling back military exercises with South Korea

President Donald Trump indicated he has resumed communication with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, following his decision to scale back joint U.S.–South Korea military exercises.

Trump Romances Kim Jong Un Again