President Donald Trump said he asked South Korea to assist the US war against Iran, and Seoul refused. The President recently announced he was scaling down war games with South Korea.
During a presser on Monday, President Trump recalled a recent conversation with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. Trump said, “Would you to give us a little hand with Iran? If you would like, we don’t need help. [Myung] said, ‘No thanks.’”
The President continued, “What do you mean? We have 39,000 soldiers over there guarding you from Kim Jong Un, and you are not going to help us with Iran? That’s strange.”
President Donald Trump says the US will substantially reduce its upcoming war games with South Korea.
“Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea,” the President wrote on Truth Social Sunday. “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.”
He continued, “Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!”
North Korea views the American-led war games as preparation for a regime change operation against Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Military drills between the US and South Korea often provoke North Korea into conducting multiple missile tests.
During President Trump’s first term, he met with Kim Jong-un three times, but was unable to finalize a deal. The summits did result in the US scaling down war games and North Korea halting missile tests.
Trump has not met with Kim since returning to the White House last year. Pyongyang says it will only meet with Washington if the US drops the demand that North Korea give up its nuclear weapons.
