South Korea hopes for talks between U.S. and North Korea after Trump downsizes military drills

Mr. Trump and others in his administration also have railed against NATO allies over a perceived lack of backing for his war against Iran, even as they seek to confront an increasingly aggressive Russia in the Baltic region.

The trust many South Koreans have in the U.S. has eroded after a tariff war instigated by Trump’s administration and his transactional approach to security.

South Korea hopes for talks between U.S. and North Korea

Mr. Lee’s presidential office said afterwards on Monday (August 17, 2026) that South Korea hopes “friendly relationship” between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim would lead to “meaningful dialogue” between the U.S. and North Korea and start discussions on promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. It said that South Korea will produce necessary diplomatic efforts for that.

South Korea and the U.S. are closely discussing practical and military contributions that can be made to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to South Korea’s presidential office. It stated the countries have been closely coordinating over their joint military drills and readiness.

Mr. Lee is a liberal who espouses improved ties with North Korea. Since taking office last year, his government has taken proactive steps to improve ties with North Korea, including turning off front line loudspeakers that blared K-pop music and world news and banning activists from flying balloons carrying propaganda leaflets toward North Korea.

On Saturday (August 15, 2026), Mr. Lee offered to hold talks to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War. It concluded with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

But North Korea has shunned any talks with South Korea and the US since Kim’s high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Mr. Trump broke down in 2019.

Mr. Kim has since used the long-running diplomatic stalemate with the U.S. and South Korea to expand his nuclear and missile arsenals by accelerating weapons tests and ramping up production of nuclear materials. He also has bolstered his diplomatic credentials by aligning with Russia over its war against Ukraine and taking steps to deepen cooperation with China.

In September 2025, Mr. Kim said he held “good personal memories” of Mr. Trump but suggested he could only resume talks with the American president if the U.S. drops “its delusional obsession with denuclearisation” of North Korea.

Experts say Mr. Kim likely seeks to win major concessions like extensive sanctions relief in return for limited denuclearisation steps.

“Trump’s recent social media posts about Kim Jong Un suggest a willingness to reengage, but North Korea is busy profiting from Russia’s war against Ukraine while modernising its own military,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

Downsizing the U.S. and South Korean drills “can damage alliance coordination, slow the process of South Korea taking on greater responsibility for its own defense, and weaken deterrence against possible conflicts in Asia,” Mr. Easley said.

Military drills test tactics and anger North Korea

South Korea’s military earlier said the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises this year would be similar to previous years in scale, with concerning 18,000 South Korean soldiers taking part.

While including a live-fire exercise to test joint precision targeting and manoeuvre, a wet gap crossing and distribution of prepositioned military equipment, the U.S. military said the drills would incorporate lessens from recent conflicts such as North Korea’s battlefield experiences in the Russia-Ukraine front.

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Friday (August 14, 2026) accused the U.S. and South Korea of plotting more provocative drills this year and vowed to respond with “a new level of a deterrent.” Earlier this month, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea in a likely protest of the drills.

This is not the first time Mr. Trump has sought to suspend the drills. After his first summit with Mr. Kim in 2018, Mr. Trump unilaterally announced the suspension of the U.S.-South Korean summertime exercises, calling them “very provocative” and “tremendously expensive.” Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, stated North Korea feels less urgency to return to talks with the U.S. and South Korea now than when it entered negotiations with its rivals in 2018, but is unlikely to completely ignore Mr. Trump’s overture.

He predicted North Korea will likely say it has observed Mr. Trump’s post but will wait for further action showing the US intends to drop hostilities against North Korea.