TRUMP CHƠI TRÒ BẤT NHÂN: "BỎ BẠN THEO THÙ"- TRUMP ẢO TƯỞNG VỀ TRUNG CỘNG, NGA VÀ BẮC HÀN - DÙ LÀ CÚNG CHO CHÚNG HẾT GIA TÀI NƯỚC MỸ - CHÚNG SẼ GIẢ BỘ HỮU HẢO NHƯNG QUAY LƯNG CHÚNG CƯỜI KHINH BỈ VÀ KHÔNG ĐỜI NÀO CHÚNG NHẬN MỸ LÀ BẠN DÙ CHO DÂN CHỦ HAY CỘNG HÒA LÀM TỔNG THỐNG - TỤI NÓ VẪN CŨNG VẪN GIẢ BỘ THÂN THIỆN- MỸ HÃY TỰ THỨC TỈNH LÀ ƯU TIÊN HƠN CẢ- NAM HÀN MUỐN CHƠI HÒA HỤP VỚI BẮC HÀN -LET THEM GO AHEAD LIKE VC T00K OVER SOUTH VN IN 1975!!! ./-Mt68

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It was predicted that PreVV sident Trump would suspend or scale down US-SK joint exercise, or even reduce the size of US troops in Korea.

Last week, South Korea's president proposed talks with its northern neighbour on officially ending the war between the two, which is technically still active since an armistice was signed in 1953.

Trump's announcement came less than 24 hours after he posted an old photograph of himself and Kim from 2019, writing the two were great friends "despite the unfriendly look on this particular picture".

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump explicitly linked his decision to South Korea's refusal to "give us a little hand" with Iran.

"We have 39,000 soldiers over there guarding you from Kim Jong Un, your next door neighbour, and you're not going to help us on a very easy military operation in Iran," he said. "That's strange".

"All I want is fairness," he later added.

In its statement, South Korea's presidential Blue House said it would continue diplomatic consultations on US-Korea military cooperation related to the Strait of Hormuz, while discussing details on joint military drills with the United States.

Experts suggest the walking back of joint military exercises could carry a high cost with relatively little benefit.

"US-South Korea combined defence exercises are essential for military forces to be ready and capable of doing their jobs," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

"Scaling them back can damage alliance coordination, slow the process of South Korea taking on greater responsibility for its own defence, and weaken deterrence against possible conflicts in Asia.

Pyongyang has accelerated efforts to expand its nuclear and missile programmes since the collapse in 2019 of Kim's high-profile diplomacy with Trump during his first term in the White House.

He became the first ever sitting US president to set foot in North Korea when he visited seven years ago.

For Seoul, Trump's post is a mixed message. On the one hand, they have been requesting Trump engage with Pyongyang and the post raises hope that he might bring Kim back to the table.

But Trump is also hinting that he is unhappy with South Korea's unwillingness to make direct military or logistical contributions to the US hostilities with Iran.

He has also expressed displeasure with other allies for their hesitance to get involved in the conflict, including Japan, France and the UK.

Trump's move to downsize joint military exercises with South Korea is not without precedent.

He suspended the exercises entirely in 2018, during denuclearisation negotiations with Kim. He said at the time that the annual drills were "provocative" towards North Korea and stopping the "war games" would save the US a "tremendous amount of money."

The exercises were again scaled back in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was predicted that President Trump would suspend or scale down US-SK joint exercise, or even reduce the size of US troops in Korea.

Last week, South Korea's president proposed talks with its northern neighbour on officially ending the war between the two, which is technically still active since an armistice was signed in 1953.

Trump has noted multiple times in the past that the US is providing security to South Korea without getting much in return.

He has criticised the number of troops it has stationed in the peninsula and the money spent.

This has complicated Washington's relationship with Seoul, which sees the troops as core to its alliance with the US.

Seoul tried to defuse the tension earlier this year, committing $350bn to investing in the US. And last year President Lee Jae Myung described Trump as a peacemaker./-

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The "Let Them" Theory, popularized by author Mel Robbins, is a mindset shift about giving up control over other people's actions and focusing only on your own responses to find emotional peace.