[Key Points] Lee backs Trump’s North Korea outreach, supports scaling back drills

Lee backs outreach: President Lee Jae Myung endorsed Trump’s renewed push to engage North Korea, casting Seoul as a “pacemaker” that can help sustain Washington-Pyongyang diplomacy.

Drills cut back: Lee supported scaling back Korea-US exercises to create room for dialogue; the 2026 Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise was shortened by six days and associated field training was reduced.

Defense still strengthened: Seoul paired its diplomatic support with a pledge to bolster self-defense, including moving defense spending toward 3.5 percent of GDP.

Peace over deterrence: Lee said a durable peace regime is the “ultimate security asset,” arguing that reducing military tensions can complement stronger South Korean defense capabilities.

Pyongyang rejects gesture: Kim Yo-jong dismissed the exercise reductions as insufficient, saying smaller or shorter drills do not change what North Korea views as the allies’ fundamentally hostile military posture.

Trump keeps pressing: Despite Pyongyang’s rebuff, Trump said he expects to meet Kim Jong-un later this year, while declining to say whether denuclearization remains the objective of renewed talks.

Hormuz pledge reiterated: Lee also reaffirmed South Korea’s willingness to support efforts to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, within the limits of domestic law and policy.