North Korea dismisses Trump's scaled-back drills with South Korea, saying they change nothing
- North Korea said the U.S. decision to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea does not change what it sees as the drills' provocative nature.
- Kim Yo Jong said North Korea had no interest in commenting on the move and that reducing the size and duration of the exercises would not change their character.
- The statement came after the United States and South Korea said they would significantly scale back the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills at Washington's request.
- Trump had ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce the summer exercises before they began, saying he wanted to reengage with Kim Jong Un.
- South Korean officials said the surprise announcement came without prior notice and raised concerns about readiness, while the U.S. said the adjusted training would not hurt its objectives.
North Korea said Wednesday that the United States' decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea does not alter what Pyongyang regards as the drills' hostile and provocative nature. The remarks were delivered by Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, in North Korea's first response to the move.
Kim said North Korea had no interest in commenting on the decision and said the exercises would remain provocative even if their scale and duration were reduced. Her statement came after Washington and Seoul confirmed they were significantly trimming the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises at the U.S. request.
Trump had ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce the summer drills before they started, saying he wanted to reopen engagement with Kim Jong Un. South Korean officials said the announcement came without prior notice and raised concerns about alliance readiness, while the U.S. said the revised training would keep essential objectives intact.
朝鲜淡化特朗普缩减美韩军演举措，称其并无变化
朝鲜周三表示，美国缩减与韩国的联合军演，并不会改变平壤对这些演习“挑衅性”和“敌对性”的判断。朝鲜领导人金正恩的妹妹金与正就此作出表态，这是朝鲜方面对这一调整的首次回应。
金与正说，朝鲜对这一决定“不感兴趣”，也没有必要发表评论，并称即使演习的规模和时长缩小，其挑衅性质也不会改变。此前，美韩已确认，应美国要求，将大幅缩减年度“乙支自由之盾”联合军演。
特朗普在演习开始前下令五角大楼大幅减少这些夏季演习，并称此举是为了重新与金正恩接触。韩国官员表示，这一意外宣布事先没有通知，并引发对同盟战备状态的担忧；美国方面则说，调整后的训练仍能维持核心目标。