President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States would reduce military exercises it conducts with key regional ally South Korea, citing his positive relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Seoul’s lack of assistance with Iran.

Background

Trump has had a warm relationship with Kim despite North Korea being a longtime adversary of the United States. The joint exercises with South Korea, called Ulchi Freedom Shield military drills, were set to begin Monday and go for 10 days.

North Korea has long criticized such exercises, with its Central Military Commission calling trilateral exercises last year with Japan and South Korea “the most comprehensive and offensive war drill for aggression in terms of scale, content and nature” that has been conducted on the southern Korean Peninsula.

During Trump’s first term, the United States and South Korea also scaled back joint operations as part of an effort to ease tensions with North Korea. The president said in 2018 that it was “inappropriate to have war games” on the Korean Peninsula as the US was engaging in nuclear negotiations with North Korea.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.