Trump cuts US-South Korea drills, alarming allies
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Trump ordered the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" US involvement in the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises that began Monday, claiming the drills were "expensive" and sent a "hostile" signal to North Korea.
- Trump made the decision without consulting South Korea, partly citing Seoul's refusal to assist in Iran's "denuclearization" and claiming Kim Jong Un had responded to his overture for a resumption of talks.
- Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the move "another inane, haphazard decision" and said "Kim Jong Un has won a propaganda victory" while South Korea was "punished for no reason beyond Trump's ego."
- Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican, warned that cutting the exercises could help Russia by enabling North Korea to send more troops to fight in Ukraine.
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said the South would "coordinate closely" with the US while also calling for South Korea to bolster its own forces, and his office expressed optimism for "meaningful dialogue" between Trump and Kim.
- Kim Jong Un now holds a "very comfortable position" with a solid Russia alliance bringing military technology, energy supplies, and economic assistance, according to analyst Kim Sang-woo, who said Kim "no longer needs the US."
- North Korea in recent years officially abandoned reunification, rewrote its constitution to designate South Korea as its principal enemy, and threatened last Friday a "new level" of nuclear deterrence against the drills, which state media called "a rehearsal for invasion war."
Why it matters: The decision was made without consulting Seoul, partly to retaliate for South Korea's refusal to help on Iran, and comes as the US Navy redirects forces from the Pacific to the Middle East — weakening deterrence against North Korea at a moment when Kim is flush with Russian military support and has scrapped inter-Korean guardrails.
Ask SkimNews
