Trump courts Kim again, US-ROK drills shrink and a more confident North Korea
North Korea News Podcast by NK NewsShow Notes
Donald Trump is once again reaching out to Kim Jong Un, praising their personal relationship, calling for a reduction in U.S.-South Korea military exercises and claiming the North Korean leader has responded “very positively.” This week, NK News Lead Correspondent Shreyas Reddy joins the podcast to unpack what Trump actually said, how closely it resembles his 2018 diplomacy playbook and why the U.S. president may be turning toward North Korea again.
He also discusses Washington and Seoul’s decision to cut the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise from 11 days to five after Trump’s directive, as well as what the abrupt change could mean for alliance cohesion.
Later, Shreyas explains why Kim would enter any renewed diplomacy from a much stronger position than he did in 2018 and looks at why U.S. strikes on Iran have further reinforced North Korea’s rejection of denuclearization.
The episode concludes with the possible ways Pyongyang could respond to Trump’s overtures and the risk that renewed leader-to-leader diplomacy could leave South Korea on the sidelines.
About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Alannah Hill exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.
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Editor’s note: This interview was recorded in July 2026. Some references to recent events and political developments reflect the situation at the time of recording and may differ from subsequent developments.
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