Seoul urges Pyongyang to halt 'derogatory remarks' after drills cut short

South Korea's Presidential Office on Friday urged North Korea to halt its derogatory rhetoric against Seoul and President Lee Jae Myung, warning that such comments undermine efforts to build mutual trust on the Korean Peninsula. The call came after US President Donald Trump ordered joint military exercises between Washington and Seoul cut short.

“Derogatory remarks toward our government and president do not help in building mutual trust,” the office said, according to Yonhap News. “We call on the North to halt unnecessary criticism and march together toward peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula,” it added.

Trump curtails drills amid North Korean mockery

Trump on Sunday directed the Pentagon to reduce the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield drills to five days, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader's sister, mocked Seoul's position, stating the South had been “placed in a poor plight of discontinuing the 'war game' it liked very much” while accusing Lee of “double-dealing behavior” for simultaneously seeking stronger independent defenses.

Missile launches and peace overtures

Hours before her statement, North Korea launched at least 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea. “As a party directly involved in building peace on the Korean Peninsula, the government will continue its close cooperation with the U.S. while making proactive efforts to help resume North Korea-US dialogue as a 'pacemaker,'” Lee's office said.