Trump hints at response from North Korean leader after scaling back Seoul drills

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Kim Jong Un had responded to his recent overtures, a day after he scaled back military drills with South Korea and praised his relationship with the North Korean leader.

Trump said he was making the situation “much safer” through his ties to Kim, whom he met three times in his first spell in the White House, but has yet to encounter during his second term.

While praising the leader of nuclear-armed North Korea, he rebuked key ally Seoul for failing to help Washington fight Iran — a war Trump says is aimed at stopping Tehran from getting the atomic bomb.

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Asked why Kim hadn’t replied to his requests for a conversation since returning to office last year, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: “How do you know he hasn’t responded?”

When pressed about whether Kim had actually responded, Trump said: “Yeah, he has.”

Asked what stage the conversations with Kim were at, Trump said “it’s very positive,” but provided no further detail.

Trump then doubled down on his praise for Kim, saying their ties reduced tensions.

“You see, I’m actually making it much safer. Kim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect,” Trump said. “I understand him. He understands me.”

Trump initially took aim at South Korea on his Truth Social network on Sunday night, abruptly announcing that he had ordered the Pentagon to scale back “inappropriate and hostile” military drills with Seoul.

He also linked the decision to South Korea’s refusal to help with the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

“Wait a minute. We have 39,000 soldiers over there, guarding you from Kim Jong Un, your next-door neighbor, and you’re not going to help us on a very easy military operation in Iran. That’s strange,” Trump said in the Oval Office.