“MUCH SAFER”
In the initial announcement on his Truth Social platform, Trump described the drills as unfriendly towards a country that had been respectful to him.
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told lawmakers on Wednesday that Seoul had not been informed in advance of Trump’s plan to downsize them.
“Neither our government nor US government officials knew in advance what President Trump revealed via Truth Social,” Cho said.
“I think President Trump’s message includes pressure over several pending issues concerning the South Korean government, as well as a message to North Korea and an intention by the US to break a stalemate in the Iran war,” he said.
One potential source of friction could be South Korea’s pledge to invest US$350 billion in the US under a trade deal signed last year, Cho said.
Seoul has yet to announce details of the investment plan, although Cho said Washington had sent Seoul a proposal outlining projects that could be considered.
“We could not move faster on the investment plan as we had to consider factors such as commercial viability and take legal procedures,” Cho said. He cited other unexpected problems, without elaborating.
Trump has insisted that he is making the situation “much safer” through his ties with Kim.
Asked on Monday whether Kim had responded to his requests for a conversation, Trump said: “Yeah, he has.”
He said the discussions had been “very positive”, but provided no further detail.
“There has been persistent speculation that Washington could seek renewed talks with Pyongyang ahead of the November US midterm elections,” Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies, told AFP.
“For Trump, a meeting with … Kim Jong Un could offer a chance to secure a foreign-policy legacy.”
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed US officials, that Trump is pushing aides to set up a meeting with Kim as soon as this autumn.
“Reducing exercises could have a positive impact on the possibility of US-North Korea dialogue,” Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University, told AFP.
“The suspension of joint exercises has always been a prerequisite for North Korea to engage in dialogue with the US,” he added.
Trump and Kim met three times in his first spell in the White House, but they have not held talks during his second term.
The United States stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to bolster the country’s defences, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
Trump has repeatedly criticised longstanding US alliances, casting doubt on Washington’s commitment to security in East Asia and alarming regional partners.
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