Al Jazeera analysis points out that President Trump's decision to cut the annual US-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise from 11 days to five, linking it to Seoul's refusal to join the US effort in Iran, has laid bare the transactional logic of his East Asia approach. This move, alongside growing doubts about the US security umbrella, is reshaping strategic calculations across the region. Notably, the US State Department's August 25 readout of the Cho Hyun–Marco Rubio call conspicuously omitted any reference to 'denuclearization' regarding North Korea, a term routinely present in previous trilateral statements. Pyongyang's response to Trump's overture, while reaffirming 'personally good memories' towards him, insists Washington must accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state. China, through Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Seoul, urged South Korea to pursue 'genuine str