North Korea has dismissed Donald Trump’s decision to reduce a major military exercise with South Korea, while also denying the US president’s claim that he remains in contact with Kim Jong Un.
Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s sister, described Washington’s move to scale back the drills as insignificant. She said Pyongyang was “completely uninterested” in the decision.
She warned that if the US viewed the reduction as a goodwill gesture, it should not expect the response it wanted.
Ulchi Freedom Shield is one of two major military exercises held annually by the US and South Korea. The drills are designed to prepare their forces for a possible conflict with North Korea.
Pyongyang has consistently condemned the exercises, describing them as preparations for an invasion. It has also opposed the continued deployment of US troops on the Korean Peninsula.
Trump ordered the Pentagon this week to reduce the size and duration of Ulchi Freedom Shield. The exercise had already started, making a complete cancellation impossible.
The US president argued that the drills were costly and sent an “inappropriate and hostile” message to North Korea, which he described as having been “unthreatening and respectful” during his presidency.
The exercise was ultimately shortened from 11 days to five and ended on Friday.
North Korea responded on Wednesday evening, despite Trump’s renewed efforts to reopen diplomatic channels with Pyongyang.
Trump had shared photographs from his previous meetings with Kim and said he expected the two leaders to meet again.
Kim Yo Jong, however, argued that reducing the size and length of the exercises did not change their character.
“The provocative, aggressive nature of the drills won’t change,” she said.
She also rejected Trump’s claim that he was communicating with Kim, saying she was “completely unaware” of any such contact.
Despite that, Kim Yo Jong said her brother still had “fond personal memories and feelings” towards Trump and described the relationship between the two leaders as “excellent”.
Trump said on Wednesday that he intended to meet Kim again later this year.
“I know Kim Jong Un very well, and he’s going to be fine as long as we’ve a smart president,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
He also claimed that North Korea possesses 57 nuclear weapons, although the figure differs from estimates provided by South Korea.
Trump and Kim held three meetings during Trump’s first presidency. Their summits took place in Singapore, Hanoi and at the inter-Korean border.
The first meeting ended with both sides agreeing to work towards denuclearising the Korean Peninsula. However, their second summit in Hanoi broke down without a deal after they failed to reach an agreement on sanctions relief and North Korea’s nuclear programme.
The two leaders briefly renewed engagement at the border in June 2019 and agreed to restart working-level negotiations. Those talks eventually stalled.
Since then, North Korea has strengthened its military relationship with Russia, expanding its conventional weapons capabilities while supporting Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine with troops and military equipment.
Pyongyang has also strengthened its ties with China.
Kim Yo Jong referred to Russia several times in her statement and expressed North Korea’s support for Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.
She also dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that North Korea was preparing to send another 50,000 soldiers to support Russia, calling the allegation baseless.
South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu Back said on Friday that he believed North Korea could be interested in Trump’s renewed efforts to establish dialogue.
Ahn also said Trump’s estimate of 57 North Korean nuclear weapons was different from South Korea’s assessment, which puts the country’s nuclear arsenal at between 80 and 120 warheads.
“I am very limited in providing a specific figure,” Ahn told lawmakers.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung struck a more positive tone, describing Trump’s decision as a significant step that could help move relations away from hostility and confrontation.
He expressed hope that the move would help restart negotiations and eventually contribute to lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
