South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday said he respected US President Donald Trump’s move to scale back US-Korea joint military exercises and seek to revive dialogue with North Korea, calling it a “big decision” aimed at overcoming hostility and conflict and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula.“President Trump’s message strikes me as a big decision reflecting the profound thought he put into overcoming hostility and conflict to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula,” the South Korean leader wrote on the social media site X. “I agree with President Trump’s dedication and efforts to create conditions for peace talks on the Korean Peninsula, even if it means that Korea-US military exercises and field training must be scaled back. I also express my respect for the US president’s decision,” Lee wrote. On Sunday, Trump said that he had ordered the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises — an annual military drill conducted jointly by the US and Korea — to be scaled back, hinting at possible dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced Wednesday that the exercises, which were to take place from Aug. 17 to 27, would now end on Friday, Aug. 21. “The ideal security asset is a peace regime in which there is no need to fight,” Lee wrote. “I hope that President Trump’s decision will not only build confidence and resume dialogue between the US and North Korea but also pave the way for a stable peace regime on the peninsula.” Lee once again stressed Korea’s role as a “pacemaker” to Trump’s “peacemaker.” “I remember how I promised to act as a ‘pacemaker’ for the sake of achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula, the home of the only divided nation in the world, during my first summit with President Trump at the White House around a year ago,” Lee reflected. “The US president and I engaged in serious talks to restore peace on the Korean Peninsula and solve the issue of North Korea’s nuclear armament during the G7 and NATO summits,” he continued. “As I have already stated on multiple occasions, I vow to do my best to fulfil my role as a pacemaker, contributing to Trump’s efforts as a peacemaker.” The president also noted that his administration has “repeatedly established its willingness to engage in the international society’s efforts to restore free passage in the Strait of Hormuz. To that end, our government will continue its practice of communicating closely with the US over substantive ways in which we can contribute, all while within the bounds of our laws and basic policies.” This message seems to have been made with Trump in mind, as the US president recently stated that he was told “no thanks” when he asked Lee whether Seoul would like to join efforts to denuclearize Iran. Lee wrapped up his statement by saying, “I look forward to reconvening with the honorable President Trump in the US in the near future.”