South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stated on Friday that United States President Donald Trump appears intent on pursuing renewed engagement with North Korea, while also clarifying that Seoul would not contribute military forces to the conflict involving Iran.
Lee noted that Trump appeared willing to re-engage with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and called on the US president to initiate dialogue with Pyongyang. Trump has expressed a desire to restore the diplomatic rapport built with Kim during his initial time in office, and the previous month indicated his anticipation of a meeting with the North Korean leader before the year's end.
Trump has further underscored the value of preserving relations with Kim while asserting that North Korea holds 57 nuclear weapons, which he described as highly capable. According to assessments from Seoul, North Korea's nuclear stockpile may number between 80 and 120 warheads.
Pyongyang has yet to offer any formal position on Trump's overtures, even as its ties with Moscow have grown closer over recent years. According to Lee, preparatory steps were under way to help facilitate a potential face-to-face meeting between officials from Washington and Pyongyang.
Speaking to reporters at the presidential Blue House, Lee noted that organising such a meeting would be difficult while maintaining that it remained within the realm of possibility, adding that every available effort would need to be directed toward turning that prospect into reality.
The remarks from Lee followed a statement by Kim Yo Jong, a senior North Korean official and sister of the country's leader, alleging that joint military exercises conducted by the United States were escalating tensions across the region. She cautioned that North Korea might adopt a more assertive posture in its response.
Kim Yo Jong separately dismissed any prospect of North Korea relinquishing its nuclear arsenal, having stated the previous day that those anticipating such a move were foolish to do so. The joint Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises held by South Korea and the United States last month were reduced in scope following a directive from Trump to limit the scale of the drills.
On the question of Iran, Lee categorically excluded the deployment of troops or military equipment to the conflict, stating that the country would not participate in or intervene in the hostilities, and that troops and military assets would not be deployed in that manner.
The remarks came after media accounts indicated that Seoul had been weighing a potential contribution to safeguarding vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz, an energy transit corridor that has grown increasingly volatile amid the ongoing hostilities. Lee's statement outlined that naval operations would be confined to safeguarding the country's own merchant shipping and petroleum supply routes.
He reaffirmed that Seoul's stance of non-involvement and non-intervention would be maintained, stating that this position had been upheld throughout the conflict and would continue to be so. Trump had previously expressed dissatisfaction with partner nations over what he described as inadequate backing for Washington during the war, and during a broadcast interview the previous month stated that allied nations had contributed minimal assistance to the United States, pointing to South Korea as a particular example.
Approximately 28,500 American military personnel are deployed on the Korean Peninsula as part of a longstanding bilateral defence agreement between the two nations. American troops have been stationed on the peninsula since the 1950–53 conflict, which concluded with a ceasefire agreement rather than a formal peace settlement. Questions about whether Washington will honour its defence obligations in East Asia have persisted, with some observers pointing to Trump's repeated statements casting doubt on the worth of long-established alliance commitments.
