Is Kim Jong Un the real winner of the Iran war?

President Trump took to Truth Social last weekend to announce that the US will "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with South Korea. He cited his "very good relationship" with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, but he also accused South Korea of failing to help the US in its war with Iran – comments that suggest major new cracks in the US’s relationship with a key ally.

To understand the reaction from South Korea, we speak to the BBC’s Seoul Correspondent Jake Kwon about whether Trump’s sidelining of South Korea is a major foreign policy shift for the US.

Producers: Aron Keller and Mhairi MacKenzie

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Photo: A South Korean soldier stands next to a TV broadcasting a news report on a possible summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, October 22, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji