Seoul Urges Trump to Turn Drill Cuts Into Peace Talks
South Korea responded to President Trump’s order to sharply reduce joint military exercises by urging him to use the moment to restart talks with North Korea, asking the President to “be a peacemaker”. Mr Trump cited his relationship with Kim Jong Un and the cost of the drills. Democrats in Washington rebuked the decision; Pyongyang has not responded.
Seoul’s choice to lean into the decision rather than protest it is telling: unable to reverse Washington’s move, the government is trying to convert a security setback into diplomatic opening, revivng the summitry that flickered and died in Mr Trump’s first term. The gamble is considerable — scaled-back exercises erode readiness whether or not talks follow, and North Korea has spent the intervening years expanding its arsenal and deepening ties with Moscow. Allies elsewhere will read the episode as further evidence that American commitments are negotiable under this White House. Watch whether Pyongyang engages or simply pockets the concession.