Trump Orders Sharp Cut to US-South Korea Military Drills
President Trump directed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea, calling the drills inappropriate and hostile signals towards North Korea and citing his relationship with Kim Jong Un. The order revives his long-standing objections to the exercises, which include the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drill. Seoul had no immediate response.
The joint drills have anchored the US-South Korean alliance for decades, rehearsing the defence of the peninsula against the North, and cutting them back hands Pyongyang a long-sought prize without any public concession in return. Allies in Seoul and Tokyo will read the move as another sign that American security guarantees are negotiable, sharpening debates in both capitals about self-reliance, and even nuclear options, that were once fringe. Mr Trump’s personal diplomacy with Mr Kim has produced summits before but little verified disarmament. With Washington consumed by the Iran crisis, the signal of a distracted, transactional America carries far. Watch how Seoul responds and whether North Korea offers anything back.