(Photo credit: Pool | Getty Images)The Cradle
AUG 20, 2026
Trump is seeking a meeting with Kim Jong Un as the US and South Korea carry out annual military drills rehearsing an invasion of North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) dismissed US President Donald Trump’s move to significantly reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, while casting doubt on the president’s claim to be in communication with the nation’s leader, Kim Jong Un.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of Kim Jong Un, stated late Wednesday that the trimming of US–South Korean military drills is “not even worth commenting on” and does not alter their “provocative and aggressive” character.
If Washington made the decision “as some kind of ‘goodwill measure,’ they will not get the answer they desire,” she added.
The US and South Korea hold joint military exercises each year, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, simulating an invasion of the DPRK.
“These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.
South Korean officials announced they would end the joint drills six days early following Trump’s statement.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung welcomed Trump’s decision, describing it as an effort to “move beyond hostility and confrontation towards building peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
He said he hoped it would “lead to the resumption of dialogue and ultimately bring about a stable peace regime.”
The DPRK has managed to prevent a US invasion by maintaining nuclear weapons and being capable of hitting Seoul, South Korea’s capital, with heavy artillery.
Pyongyang carried out its first nuclear test in 1986 and now possesses dozens of nuclear warheads.
On Wednesday, Trump acknowledged the nuclear deterrent, telling reporters the DPRK now had “57 very powerful nuclear weapons.”
Kim Yo Jong denied Trump’s claim that he had spoken with her brother recently, saying she was “completely unaware” of any contact between them.
However, she said the Korean leader had “fond personal memories and feelings” toward the US president and that their relationship remained “excellent.”
During his first term in the White House, Trump broke a Washington political taboo by meeting with Kim in person several times.
Trump famously stated that he and Kim “fell in love” after exchanging “beautiful letters.” He praised Kim as “very smart,” “honorable,” and a “great leader.”
Trump has said he expects to meet Kim again and is seeking to arrange a summit between them this fall.
On Sunday, Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his country’s deepening ties with Russia in a message to President Vladimir Putin during a ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of North Korea’s independence from Japanese colonial rule.
Putin stated that the Russian bond with Pyongyang was forged during World War II as Soviet soldiers fought against Japan. The Russian president said cooperation between the two countries would continue “in all the sectors.” The DPRK has assisted Russia in its ongoing war with Ukraine by providing troops, munitions, and missiles.
After Japan was defeated in World War II, the Korean peninsula was divided between a Soviet and Chinese-backed communist north and a western-backed capitalist south.
When war erupted between the north and south in 1950, the US intervened on the side of the south.
US General Curtis LeMay stated that during the course of the US bombing campaign, “We did burn down every town in North Korea and every town in South Korea,” and “killed off 20 percent of the Korean population,” either from direct effects of the bombing or indirect causes, such as disease and exposure.]
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