The presidential office said Monday it expects the friendship between the leaders of North Korea and the United States to help lead to bilateral talks on peace on the Korean Peninsula, following President Donald Trump's reported order to scale back joint military exercises with Seoul. The remarks came in response to Trump's social media post Sunday (U.S. time) saying he had instructed the Pentagon to "substantially" reduce joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises. Trump said the exercises are not only "costly" but also send a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal to the North, in what appears to be a conciliatory gesture toward North Korea. The post came as the summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise between Seoul and Washington was set to begin Monday in South Korea. North Korea has long condemned the annual drills as a rehearsal for an invasion. "The government takes note of President Trump's social media message," the presidential office in Seoul said. "We expect friendly relations between the North Korean and U.S. leaders to lead to meaningful North Korea-U.S. talks and t