SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - South Korea expects President Donald Trump's outreach to Kim Jong Un to produce meaningful talks between Washington and Pyongyang, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not disclose whether Seoul had been told in advance that the North Korean leader had replied.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said the two allies had consistently declared themselves open to dialogue with North Korea and were maintaining close communication on North Korea policy, including efforts to restart talks.
"The government expects President Trump's message to lead to meaningful North Korea-U.S. dialogue," Park said at a regular briefing. "We will continue the necessary diplomatic efforts under close South Korea-U.S. coordination."
Trump said Monday (local time) at the White House that Kim had answered him. He said the exchanges were "very positive" and gave no further detail, then praised the relationship, saying Kim had always treated him with respect and that the two men understood each other.
The remarks came a day after a Truth Social post in which Trump said he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" the annual combined exercises with South Korea. He wrote that the drills were costly and sent a signal that was "totally inappropriate and hostile" to a country he described as unthreatening and respectful throughout his presidency, and that it was "too late to cancel" them outright.
Ulchi Freedom Shield is one of two large combined exercises the allies stage each year. This year's began Monday, hours after the post, with about 18,000 South Korean troops training alongside U.S. forces in computer-simulated command post drills, live field maneuvers and civil defense exercises.
Neither government has said what a reduced exercise would look like. A Joint Chiefs of Staff official told reporters Monday that the training was proceeding as planned, and the defense ministry said the same.
Park said the two countries had coordinated closely on maintaining combined defense readiness and on exercises and training, and would keep working together on the specifics.
In the same post, Trump tied the decision to Seoul's refusal to join the U.S. war against Iran. He wrote that he had recently asked the South Korean president whether the country wanted to join the "Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran," and was told, "No thanks!" He described the two matters as "somewhat unrelated."
Recounting the call on Monday, Trump said he had told President Lee Jae Myung that Washington did not need help in Iran but would take it, and that the United States keeps 39,000 soldiers in South Korea guarding against Kim. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in the country.
Park gave a different account of Seoul's role. He said the government had taken an active part from the earliest stage in international discussions aimed at securing a ceasefire in Iran and restoring free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and that it was in close discussion with Washington on practical military contributions, weighing Korean Peninsula readiness posture and domestic legal procedure.
That position has been consistent throughout, Park said, declining to confirm details.
Trump met Kim three times during his first term and has not seen him since returning to office. After the 2018 Singapore summit he suspended what he called provocative drills with Seoul, and that year's Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise was canceled.
Pyongyang has given no public sign of interest in returning to nuclear talks. Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader's sister, said in a statement carried by state media last July that personal relations between her brother and Trump were not bad, but that any relationship serving the purpose of North Korea's denuclearization would amount to a mockery. The exercise runs through Aug. 27.
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