The U.S. and South Korean militaries were wrapping up their annual drills six days earlier than initially scheduled on Friday (August 21, 2026) in a conciliatory gesture toward North Korea, though the North said the step isn’t enough to convince it to return to talks.
Trump and Kim Jong Un, whose earlier nuclear diplomacy collapsed in 2019. Kim Jong Un suggested last year that he won’t return to talks unless the U.S. drops its demand for North Korean denuclearisation as a precondition for diplomacy. U.S. Mr. Trump cited what he described as a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s refusal to support him over the war in Iran . The U.S. Kim Yo Jong’s statement dampened hopes for an early resumption of talks between Mr. Trump’s move can restore diplomacy so as not to fully take the blame when it doesn’t happen.
President Donald Trump had earlier abruptly ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises just before they began Monday (August 17). Pacific Command said the events didn’t pose an immediate threat to U.S. territory or its allies. The command said the U.S. remains committed to the defence of the U.S. homeland and its allies in the region. Kim Dong-Yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said that Kim Yo Jong’s statement showed North Korea’s position that a personal relationship between her brother and Mr. Trump “can’t be a factor that moves current North Korean-U.S. relations”. He said Kim Yo Jong likely aimed to head off speculation that Mr.
“After this strategic play has run its course, Mr. “But that will probably be after the U.S. midterm elections when Mr. Trump is expected to be in a weaker domestic political position and in search of headline-grabbing foreign policies.”
Kim may seek further economic and reputational benefits from Washington,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
