Lee respects Trump's decision to promote dialogue with NK through scaled-back military exercises
Summary
President Lee Jae Myung said he respects Donald Trump’s effort to create conditions for dialogue with North Korea by scaling back South Korea-U.S. military exercises. He posted the remark on X hours after the allies announced they would cut short the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise at Trump’s order. Lee said he hopes the move will help restore dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang and lead to a stable peace regime on the peninsula. He also said South Korea will keep communicating closely with the United States on ways it can contribute within its laws and basic policies.
Key Facts
- Trump said on Sunday that he had instructed the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises that send a hostile signal to North Korea.
- Lee said the South Korean government has repeatedly stated its intention to actively participate in international efforts to restore free passage in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Lee wrote that South Korea will continue to communicate closely with the United States on various substantive ways it can contribute within the scope it can bear under South Korean law and basic policy.
- Lee said he looks forward to meeting Trump again in the United States in the near future.
President Lee Jae Myung, left, holds talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Aug. 25, 2025. Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung has said he respects U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to create the conditions for dialogue with North Korea by going as far as scaling back South Korea-U.S. military exercises.
Lee made the remark in a post on his X account late Wednesday, hours after the allies announced their decision to cut short the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise at Trump's orders.
Trump wrote in a social media post Sunday that he had instructed the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" joint military exercises that send a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea.
"I feel that President Trump's message is a big decision reflecting the serious thought he put into creating peace beyond hostility and confrontation on the Korean Peninsula," Lee wrote.
"We, who believe that the most perfect security asset is a peace regime in which there is no need to fight, share President Trump's commitment and efforts to create the conditions for dialogue toward establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, even if that means scaling back the South Korea-U.S. combined exercises and field training, and express our respect for that decision," he added.
Lee went further to express his wish that Trump's decision will ultimately lead to a stable peace regime on the peninsula through confidence-building and a resumption of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.
He also vowed to do his best to fulfill his role as a "pacemaker" promoting and contributing to Trump's efforts as a "peacemaker," a reference to a proposal he made during their first summit last year.
Trump's instructions to scale back the exercises have been interpreted by some as a response to what he perceives as Seoul's reluctance to help the U.S. war with Iran.
In the Sunday post, Trump said he had recently asked Lee if Seoul would like to join the effort to denuclearize Iran and was told, "No thanks."
Lee appeared to address that remark in his X message, saying the South Korean government has repeatedly stated its intention to actively participate in international efforts to restore free passage in the Strait of Hormuz.
"To that end, our government will continue to communicate closely with the United States, as we have done until now, regarding various substantive ways in which we can contribute within the scope that we can bear under the Republic of Korea's laws and basic policies," he wrote.
"I look forward to meeting with the honorable President Trump again in the United States in the near future."
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