Trump said South Korea has refused to cooperate in the US war against Iran and that he has good relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.TAG_OPEN_div_65
In a social media post on Sunday, Trump said the joint drills, which began on Monday, were expensive and sent a “completely inappropriate and hostile message” to North Korea.TAG_OPEN_div_63 He claimed that North Korea was “harmless and honorable” during his first term.
According to Trump, he recently asked the South Korean president if he would help the US in Iran’s “denuclearization” effort.TAG_OPEN_div_59 South Korea, however, disagreed, he said.
The decision marks a significant shift in the Trump administration’s approach to the U.S. security alliance with South Korea.TAG_OPEN_div_57 At a Pentagon meeting in May, Hegseth praised South Korea’s commitment to increase defense spending and its willingness to take a leading role in the defense of the Korean Peninsula.
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About TAG_OPEN_div_53 18,000 South Korean soldiers are taking part in the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield joint exercise between South Koreans and the US military. The drills are aimed at strengthening joint defence capabilities against North Korea’s military threats.
According to the U.S. TAG_OPEN_div_51 military, the drills reinforce the role of the U.S.-South Korea alliance in regional peace and security and reaffirm South Korea’s defense commitment. The exercise will include physical firings, military maneuvers and crossing the river exercises.
South Korea’TAG_OPEN_div_49 s defence ministry confirmed the drills began as planned on Monday. The joint drills came days after North Korea resumed its ballistic missile tests in defiance of UN sanctions.
Democratic US Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot, criticized Trump’s decision to weaken the joint drills, calling it “short-sighted and a mistake.”TAG_OPEN_div_47
On Friday, North Korea threatened to take “unclear but tough” measures against the United States and South Korea.TAG_OPEN_div_43 It called the joint drills a “rehearsal for aggressive warfare” and accused it of fuelling regional instability.
According to analysts, North Korea often uses joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises as a pretext to advance its nuclear and missile programs.TAG_OPEN_div_41
North Korea has stepped up its nuclear and missile capabilities since the failed nuclear diplomacy between Trump and Kim in 2019.TAG_OPEN_div_39 Trump met Kim three times in his first term and has expressed his desire to resume talks with him in his second term.
Trump’s latest announcement came a day after he posted a photo of himself with Kim on social media.TAG_OPEN_div_37 He claimed that the two leaders have a good relationship.
In his first term, Trump called the US-South Korea joint military exercises “provocative” and vowed to halt them.TAG_OPEN_div_35 After meeting Kim in Singapore in 2018, Trump said that stopping such practices would save a lot of money.
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