Another courtship of Kim? Trump cancels exercise with South Korea

The United States canceled a major naval exercise with South Korea scheduled for September, due to a shortage of American forces because of the war in Iran. The decision comes a week after Trump ordered the reduction of another exercise, while emphasizing his relationship with Kim Jong Un and his desire to renew the diplomatic channel with him.

The United States canceled a major naval exercise with South Korea scheduled for September, the South Korean Marine Corps announced today (Monday). The official reason is a lack of availability of American forces due to the war in Iran. The decision comes just one week after US President Donald Trump himself ordered a significant reduction of another joint exercise with Seoul. Trump justified his previous decision by his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, writing that the exercises send an "inappropriate and hostile" message to a country that he said has been "non-threatening and respectful" as long as he has been in office. He also linked the Korean Peninsula to the war in Iran, asking South Korea's president whether his country would join the effort to dismantle Iran's nuclear program, and received a negative answer. Another exercise that began the day after Trump's remarks was shortened and ended six days earlier than planned. Now, the cancellation of the additional exercise returns Trump to the policy that characterized his first term, after the Singapore summit with Kim in 2018. However, Pyongyang is not responding to the gesture: after the decision to reduce exercises, North Korea launched ten short-range ballistic missiles.