Seoul Hopes U.S.-North Korea Friendship Will Spur Peace Talks

SEOUL, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) -- The presidential office said Monday it expects the friendship between the leaders of North Korea and the United States to help lead to bilateral talks on peace on the Korean Peninsula, following President Donald Trump's reported order to scale back joint military exercises with Seoul.

The remarks came in response to Trump's social media post Sunday (U.S. time) saying he had instructed the Pentagon to "substantially" reduce joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises.

Trump said the exercises are not only "costly" but also send a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal to the North, in what appears to be a conciliatory gesture toward North Korea.

The post came as the summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise between Seoul and Washington was set to begin Monday in South Korea. North Korea has long condemned the annual drills as a rehearsal for an invasion.

"The government takes note of President Trump's social media message," the presidential office in Seoul said.

"We expect friendly relations between the North Korean and U.S. leaders to lead to meaningful North Korea-U.S. talks and the start of discussions aimed at advancing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Cheong Wa Dae said, pledging to play a role as a "pacemaker" to that end.

The White House has repeatedly affirmed that Trump remains open to dialogue with Pyongyang "without any preconditions."

Trump had three in-person meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his first term: in Singapore in June 2018, in Hanoi in February 2019 and at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

Both Seoul and Washington have closely coordinated on maintaining a firm combined defense posture, and conducting joint drills and exercises, and will continue such coordination on related matters, the presidential office noted.

The office also said that Seoul has actively participated in international discussions on a ceasefire in Iran and efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and is closely consulting with the U.S. on ways to make practical and military contributions.

In Sunday's post, Trump also said that he had recently asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung whether Seoul would like to join the effort to denuclearize Iran, and was told, "No thanks."