South Korea president stresses US alliance as many baffled by Trump order to cut exercises

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president said Tuesday a solid alliance with the U.S. strengthens the foundation of national security, as many South Koreans were baffled and concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt order to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises.

Trump made the surprise announcement in a social media post just before U.S. and South Korean soldiers began Monday’s annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which are largely designed to sharpen readiness against North Korean threats.

Trump cited what he said was good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s refusal to join the U.S. war against Iran.

Trump’s move was apparently taken without consultations with South Korea and meant to reach out to Kim, deepening concerns about the reliability of the U.S.-South Korean alliance forged in the turmoil of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Confidence in the U.S. has already eroded among many South Koreans because of Trump’s tariff war and last year’s immigration raid in the U.S. state of Georgia that led to the detainment of hundreds of South Korean workers.

Trump’s announcement “reveals the stark reality of a faltering Korea-U.S. alliance, fueling public anxiety,” South Korea’s Hankook Ilbo newspaper said in an editorial Tuesday. “It’s absurd that the U.S. appears to treat North Korea more respectfully than its ally South Korea.”

South Korean leader calls for solid US alliance

In a regular Cabinet meeting, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stressed the importance of a firm military alliance with the U.S., saying that “national security will be further strengthened when the alliance is solid.”

“When we build up our strengths, our value and importance as an ally will further grow,” said Lee, a liberal who has called for a stronger, self-reliant defense posture.

It was unclear which parts of the 11-day South Korea-U.S. exercises were being downsized. The South Korean and U.S. militaries earlier said their drills this year would be similar in scale to previous years and incorporate lessens from recent conflicts such as North Korea’s battlefield experiences in the Russia-Ukraine front. They also said the drills are defensive in nature.

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry accused South Korea and the U.S. of plotting more provocative drills this year and vowed to respond with “a new level of a deterrent.”

Prosects unclear for reengagement between Trump and Kim

Kim has shunned any talks with the U.S. and South Korea since his earlier high-profile diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019.

Experts say Kim won’t likely embrace Trump’s overture and return to talks anytime soon unless he is promised bigger U.S. concessions. Kim has boosted his military and diplomatic credentials in recent years by enlarging his nuclear arsenal and aligning with Russia over its war against Ukraine.

Lee’s presidential office on Monday expressed hopes that a “friendly relationship” between Trump and Kim would lead to “meaningful dialogue” between their countries to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. That invited a backlash from the conservative opposition, which criticized Lee’s government for allegedly prioritizing resumption of Kim-Trump diplomacy over security concerns.

“South Korea’s security bulwark is being shaken to its very foundations,” Park Chung-kwon, a spokesperson for the main conservative opposition People Power Party, said in a statement.

A weakening of the U.S. defense commitment could shake South Korea’s national security as it has no nuclear weapons and is under the so-called U.S. “nuclear umbrella” protection, which guarantees a devastating American response in the event of an attack on its ally by nuclear-armed North Korea. The U.S. has about 28,500 troops in South Korea.

Doubts about US alliance grow in South Korea

In his social media post, Trump said the military exercises with South Korea are not only costly but “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea, which he said “has been unthreatening and respectful” during his time in the White House. Trump said he asked Lee if South Korea would join the U.S. in the “denuclearization” of Iran, “and they said, ‘No thanks!’”

Lee’s office said South Korea and the U.S. are closely discussing practical and military contributions that South Korea can make to help restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Trump thinks of an alliance as an investment that should pay regular dividends, or a rainy-day fund he can withdraw from when another project isn’t going well,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

“South Korean leaders understand that relations with the Trump administration will be a constant renegotiation linking economic and security issues. Seoul is thus cautiously responding to recent developments within that framework,” Easley said.

A recent survey jointly conducted by South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper and the East Asia Institute, a Seoul-based research group, showed 46.4% of respondents in South Korea viewed the U.S. as “not a trustworthy partner” while 45.4% called it “trustworthy.”

It was the first time that more Koreans said they could not trust the U.S. than said they could since the East Asia Institute began asking the question in 2017, JoongAng Ilbo reported.