WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis opened the door on Tuesday to restarting large-scale military exercises on the Korean Peninsula, appearing to contradict President Trump, who had labeled the war games costly and “provocative” two months ago in trying to lower tensions with North Korea.
Mr. Mattis insisted that the step did not signal that the era of détente between the Trump administration and Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, was over.
But the Pentagon chief’s comments came amid souring relations: In the last week alone, the United States canceled a trip by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Pyongyang and North Korean state media accused the United States of “double-dealing attitudes” and “extremely provocative and dangerous military moves.”
“We took the step to suspend several of the largest exercises as a good-faith measure coming out of the Singapore summit,” Mr. Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday, referring to Mr. Trump’s decision to shelve large-scale drills with South Korea after meeting with Mr. Kim in June.
