{
  "id": 1583617,
  "title": "Trump hints at Kim contacts after scaling back Seoul drills",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/trump-hints-at-kim-contacts-after-scaling-back-seoul-drills-1583617",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T21:38:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2026/08/18/trump-hints-at-kim-contacts-after-scaling-back-seoul-drills"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he had scaled back military drills with South Korea and praised his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The US president claimed that his ties to Kim had made the situation much safer, but emphasized that Kim had always treated him with great respect. Trump stated that he had spoken with Kim three times during his first term in the White House, although he had not had direct contact with the North Korean leader during his second term. He rebuked South Korea for not helping the US combat Iran, accusing Seoul of failing to support Washington in fighting Tehran's pursuit of nuclear weapons. Trump later defended his decision to reduce the drills, stating that it was due to South Korea's refusal to assist the US in a potential military operation against Iran. The scaled-back exercises are part of the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, which simulate combat against North Korean troops. North Korea has denounced the drills as rehearsals for an invasion, and recently fired a ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan, warning it could respond to the exercises with a new level of deterrent.",
  "summary": "The US president praises ties with the North Korean leader while rebuking key ally Seoul over its failure to support the Iran campaign.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Trump hints at Kim contacts after scaling back Seoul drills",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/trump-hints-at-kim-contacts-after-scaling-back-seoul-drills-1580687",
        "published": "2026-08-17T21:38:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}