US conservatives, politicians and experts alike are warning against leaving Seoul out of the conversation when pursuing dialogue with North Korea after US President Donald Trump unilaterally scaled back joint military drills and made reference to the North’s 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons while actively pursuing a November summit with Kim Jong-un. Fred Fleitz, the vice chairperson of the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute, wrote an article titled “Before Trump Meets Kim Jong-un Again, Five Things Must Happen First” for American Greatness on Friday. Fleitz, a close Trump aide who served as the chief of staff and executive secretary of the National Security Council during the first Trump administration, wrote that before seeking an audience with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Trump should “meet with President Lee [Jae Myung], ideally by visiting Seoul,” adding that it would be advisable to “dispatch Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Seoul immediately to help turn this fall’s momentum into a concrete summit.” “South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung government has delivered stronger-than-anticipated cooperation on trade and security,” Fleitz wrote, noting the 7.5% rise in Korea’s 2026 defense budget and shipbuilding agreements between the US and Korea that would expand the US Navy’s capacity. “Rubio should evaluate this record and work with Seoul to help finalize the logistics of a Trump-Kim summit this fall, whether as a standalone meeting or timed to the president’s expected November trip to the APEC summit in China,” he emphasized. Fox News, known for reporting in favor of Trump, reported Sunday that Trump is confronting a North Korea with “far less incentive to strike a deal than it had during his first term.” “Unlike Iran, however, North Korea already possesses a mature nuclear arsenal and multiple delivery systems, leaving Trump with little prospect of eliminating the threat militarily and a narrower path to a deal than he had eight years ago,” the outlet said. US Rep. Rich McCormick, a Republican serving on the House Armed Services Committee, also questioned Trump’s decision to cut short the Ulchi Freedom Shield drill and called for him to restore it to its original scale. McCormick appeared on Bloomberg TV on Saturday, where he emphasized how Korea ought to be brought even closer with the US while expressing hope that the reduction in joint military exercises is temporary. Trump, who appears to be pursuing a summit with North Korea in part to shift attention away from the quagmire of the Iran war and showcase his achievements ahead of the November midterms, is expected to heed concerns raised by Republicans and his supporters. In this current climate, it appears that it will be even more important for the South Korean government to cooperate closely with the US administration during the process of facilitating potential US-North Korea talks to prevent Seoul from being sidelined and ensure that the negotiations effectively address South Korea’s security concerns.