U.S. President Donald Trump’s order to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea could be an attempt to bring North Korean leader Kim Jong-un back to the negotiating table, experts said Monday. Trump said Sunday that the exercises were costly and sent an "inappropriate and hostile signal" to North Korea, citing his "very good relationship" with Kim and claiming Pyongyang "has been unthreatening and respectful" during his time in office. Noting that it was too late to cancel Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) outright since it was already scheduled to begin Monday, he said he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" the annual exercise. The remarks came a day after Trump posted a photo of his 2019 meeting with Kim at Panmunjeom in the Joint Security Area within the Demilitarized Zone, writing that the two leaders "get along GREAT." Cheong Wa Dae responded by saying South Korea and the U.S. "have closely coordinated on maintaining a solid combined defense posture and on joint exercises and training." "We hope that the friendly relationship between the U