Trump Orders US Participation in South Korea Joint Drills Cut, Citing Ties With Kim Jong Un
The Facts
- Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" joint US-South Korea military exercises in a social media post.
- The order came hours before Ulchi Freedom Shield, an 11-day annual exercise, began on Monday, 17 August.
- Trump cited his "very good relationship" with Kim Jong Un and said the drills sent a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea.
- Trump also cited South Korea's refusal to join the US war against Iran as a reason for the reduction.
- The order left unchanged the 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea.
- Trump said on Monday that Kim Jong Un had responded to his overtures, describing the exchanges as positive.
- President Lee Jae Myung said a strong US alliance strengthens security and renewed his push to regain wartime operational control of South Korean forces.
- US lawmakers and former diplomats criticized the decision, saying it undermines an ally and weakens deterrence.
- North Korea has expanded its nuclear arsenal and gained battlefield experience by sending troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine.
Context
What is Ulchi Freedom Shield?
It is the allies' annual summer military exercise in South Korea, scheduled this year to run 17-27 August Guardian,Oneindia. Roughly 18,000 South Korean troops took part as the drills began Monday despite Trump's order to cut US participation NDTV,Focus.
Has Trump curtailed these exercises before?
Yes. He suspended or scaled back drills during his first term to advance nuclear talks with Kim, criticizing them in 2019 as "very provocative" and "inappropriate" Hindustan Times,Aol. Analysts note the context has changed, as North Korea's military is more capable now than in 2018 Hindustan Times.
How has Seoul responded?
South Korea's presidential office said it hoped the friendly relationship between Trump and Kim would lead to meaningful US-North Korea dialogue, and did not publicly rebut Trump's criticism infobae,NDTV. President Lee Jae Myung separately urged faster progress on acquiring nuclear-powered submarines and on transferring wartime operational control to Seoul Guardian.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- The alliance itself is not in play — the 28,500 troops stay, Lee reaffirms it, and Seoul's refusal to join the Iran war is treated as its own to make.
- Where Left and Right split
- Whether the story is about a security guarantee bent to one leader's rapport with Kim and docked over Iran, or about Seoul finally commanding its own forces.
How left and right read it
Security commitments to a democratic ally should not turn on one leader's personal rapport, and they certainly should not be docked as punishment for declining to join a war in Iran — yet both were named as reasons for cutting the drills, announced in a social media post hours before Ulchi Freedom Shield began. Lee Jae Myung still affirmed the alliance; lawmakers and former diplomats called the deterrence damage real. Concessions this cheap should be reversed.
“Democrats in Congress said the move handed Kim a propaganda win for nothing, while an ally was left paying the price for a war in the Middle East it never agreed to fight.” — The Guardian
Strategic self-reliance, not permanent dependency, is what a mature alliance should produce — which is why Lee Jae Myung's renewed push to regain wartime operational control of his own forces matters more here than the noise over exercises. Seoul declined the Iran war. The 28,500 troops stay in place, and Kim Jong Un has answered the overtures, so the friction is over tempo, not commitment. Why is that the emergency?
“Donald Trump relishes sticking it to South Korea.” — The Telegraph
The receipts — all 66 sources
Wire services (4)
Independent coverage (50)
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