Trump withdraws war games threat
Beijing bucks blame; Seoul denies ‘internal agreement’ with Washington to hold air force drill in December
US President Donald Trump withdrew an earlier threat to resume war games with South Korea that infuriated Pyongyang. He again blamed China for not pushing North Korea to denuclearize. South Korea said it would cut the number of guard posts and equipment along its border and denied media reports it would hold military drills with the United States in December.—
WASHINGTON— US President Donald Trump withdrew an earlier threat to resume war games with South Korea that infuriate Pyongyang, and instead hailed his personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Trump posted a White House statement on Twitter a day after his defense secretary hinted that the drills, which North Korea denounces as rehearsals for invasion, could resume if Pyongyang does not start denuclearization.
Great ties with Kim
“The President believes that his relationship with Kim Jong Un is a very good and warm one, and there is no reason at this time to be spending large amounts of money on joint US-South Korea war games,” it added.
“Besides, the President can instantly start the joint exercises again with South Korea and Japan, if he so chooses.
If he does, they will be far bigger than ever before,” it said.
Blaming China
The statement said North Korea was under “tremendous pressure” from China, but Beijing was also supplying Pyongyang with “considerable aid,” including fuel, fertilizer and commodities.
The statement also said that the US trade dispute with China and other differences “will be resolved in time by President Trump and China’s great President Xi Jinping.”
But China said on Thursday that the White House statement was “irresponsible” and hard to understand, adding that Washington should look at itself when facing difficulties on the issue.
In a related development, South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday replaced his defense minister amid moves to improve ties with Pyongyang ahead of a third summit with Kim in September.
The 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the coun- tries still technically at war.
At the same time, the South Korean defense ministry has said it will reduce the number of guard posts and the amount of equipment on its border with North Korea.
Seoul also denied reports that it had already agreed to carry out the “Vigilant Ace” air drill in December and stressed that nothing had been decided about the exercise.
Empowering Moon
Former fighter pilot Jeong Kyeong-doo was named to replace Song Young-moo as part of a reshuffle that supposedly stemmed from Moon’s plunging approval ratings.
Moon’s popularity rating soared to 83 percent after his Panmunjom summit with the North’s leader Kim Jong-un in April, but it has since fallen to a record low of 56 percent last week.
Moon’s summit with Kim in September is expected to boost his ratings but Seoul worried that Washington’s recent statements may undermine Moon’s negotiating leverage in the looming summit.
North Korea has been seeking relief from tough international sanctions and a formal conclusion to the Korean War, but Washington says North Korea must give up its nuclear weapons first.
Give and take
“We believe that denuclearization has to take place before we get to other parts, and that’s been a part of our policy,” US Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert reiterated on Wednesday.
US officials say North Korean officials warned in a letter to Pompeo last week that denuclearization talks risked falling apart, and Pyongyang may concentrate making a separate deal with Seoul.
“They basically don’t think we’re doing enough,” a senior US official said, referring to the North Koreans.