President Lee Jae Myung presides over an Ulchi National Security Council meeting at the National Crisis Management Center at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Tuesday. (Cheong Wa Dae via Yonhap) Lee backs outreach: President Lee Jae Myung endorsed Trump’s renewed push to engage North Korea, casting Seoul as a “pacemaker” that can help sustain Washington-Pyongyang diplomacy.Drills cut back: Lee supported scaling back Korea-US exercises to create room for dialogue; the 2026 Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise was shortened by six days and associated field training was reduced.Defense still strengthened: Seoul paired its diplomatic support with a pledge to bolster self-defense, including moving defense spending toward 3.5 percent of GDP.Peace over deterrence: Lee said a durable peace regime is the “ultimate security asset,” arguing that reducing military tensions can complement stronger South Korean defense capabilities.Pyongyang rejects gesture: Kim Yo-jong dismissed the exercise reductions as insufficient, saying smaller or shorter drills do not change what North Korea views as the allies’ fundamentally hostile military posture.Trump keeps pressing: Despite Pyongyang’s rebuff, Trump said he expects to meet Kim Jong-un later this year, while declining to say whether denuclearization remains the objective of renewed talks.Hormuz pledge reiterated: Lee also reaffirmed South Korea’s willingness to support efforts to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, within the limits of domestic law and policy.