Since taking office in a snap election in June, the liberal Lee has taken steps to lower tensions with the nuclear-armed North, and the issue is one where he is expected to find common ground with Trump, who still boasts of his historic summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Kim Yo Jong, a senior official on the State Affairs Commission, called South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s push for improved ties a “pipe dream,” according to a statement published by the Korean Central News Agency. She accused Lee or trying to create an “amicable image” while hosting a large-scale military exercise with the United States.