US President Donald Trump has said he maintains a “good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, arguing that their engagement has helped make the United States and its allies, including South Korea and Japan, safer.

Trump also said he opposed large-scale military exercises involving the US and South Korea, describing them as inappropriate while maintaining a positive relationship with Kim. His comments came after he indicated that he expects to meet the North Korean leader again later this year.

Trump Says He Has Good Relationship With Kim

Speaking to reporters while addressing technology leaders, Trump said he had developed a strong personal relationship with Kim, contrasting it with the North Korean leader’s alleged lack of rapport with previous US presidents.

“I do have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un, as you know, you’ve seen. He didn’t like Biden, he didn’t like Obama, he didn’t like anybody, but he likes me, and I just got along with him very good,” Trump said.

Trump said the two leaders had held successful meetings and remained in communication. He argued that their relationship had wider security implications for the US and its allies.

“We had great meetings; we speak. And I think our nation and I think other nations, frankly, whether it’s Japan or South Korea, they’re a lot safer if I’m President than if somebody else is President,” he said.

Trump Opposes Large-Scale Military Exercises

Trump said he did not support large-scale military exercises with South Korea while maintaining his relationship with Kim.

“I didn’t like the fact that we’re doing these massive military exercises really against North Korea. It was an exercise against North Korea when I’m friendly with him,” Trump said.

He added that he did not expect such an exercise to take place during his presidency.

“I don’t see anything happening for certainly two and a half years; it’s not going to happen with me. But I don’t see anything happening,” Trump said.

Trump recently instructed US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea. He has described the drills as costly and inappropriate while pointing to his relationship with Kim.

Trump Criticises South Korea Over Hormuz

Trump also expressed dissatisfaction with South Korea’s refusal to assist the United States over the situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

He noted that South Korea obtains a significant share of its oil supplies through the strategic waterway and said he had asked Seoul whether it would help Washington.

“I was not happy when South Korea said no; they’re not interested in helping us with the Hormuz Strait, and yet they get 60% of their oil from the Hormuz Strait,” Trump said.

Trump said he considered the refusal disappointing and linked it to his opposition to conducting what he described as a massive military exercise involving South Korea.

“I didn’t like that. So I felt that to do a massive… we were doing a massive war exercise, I thought that was very insulting to somebody that frankly has been, during my term at least, very well-behaved,” he said.

Trump Signals Another Meeting With Kim

Trump’s comments came after he indicated that he expects to meet Kim Jong Un later this year.

Asked earlier about a possible meeting with the North Korean leader, Trump replied, “Yeah, I will be. I’ll be doing this too.”

He again emphasised his personal relationship with Kim, saying, “I get along with him, right. And you know what, the fact that I get along with him, that’s a good thing, not a bad thing.”

Trump also referred to North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, claiming that Kim has “57 very powerful nuclear weapons”. He argued that Iran should not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

“He’s got ’em. I get along with him very well. You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

Trump Recalls Previous Engagement With Kim

Trump has previously said that Kim treated him with “great respect” and that their direct communication contributed to making the Korean Peninsula safer.

“Kim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect, and we met on two primary occasions, spoke, and spent time. I understand him. He understands me. I get along with him,” Trump had said.

During Trump’s first term, he and Kim held three face-to-face meetings between 2018 and 2019. Their first meeting took place at the Singapore Summit in June 2018, followed by talks in Hanoi in February 2019.

In June 2019, Trump met Kim at the Korean Demilitarised Zone and became the first sitting US President to step into North Korea.

Denuclearisation Talks Remain Stalled

The leaders had agreed to work towards improving bilateral relations and pursuing negotiations on denuclearisation. However, the talks later stalled over disagreements concerning sanctions relief and the scope of North Korea’s nuclear dismantlement.

Trump’s latest remarks indicate that he continues to favour direct engagement with Kim while seeking to reduce the scale of US-South Korea military exercises. His comments also come amid wider tensions involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, which he linked to South Korea’s military cooperation with Washington.

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