South Korean leader stresses peace is paramount after US scales back drills

Geopolitics
โดย CNBC·KRUS·Read original
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South Korean President Lee Jae-myung stressed that preserving peace is the most important thing for the country, while also saying it must be prepared if a dire situation arises, after President Donald Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to scale back annual joint military exercises with South Korea so as not to send an inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea. Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday, August 16, mentioning his very good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and saying North Korea is a country that is not a threat and is worthy of respect. Lee Jae-myung said today that the annual exercise called Ulchi Freedom Shield is defensive in nature and is not aimed at attacking North Korea or raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The annual US-South Korea exercise began on Monday and is scheduled to run until August 27, with about 18,000 South Korean troops taking part. Trump previously accused South Korea of not helping the United States in its war with Iran, saying we have 39,000 troops there to protect you from Kim Jong Un, but you did not help us in a very easy military operation in Iran. South Korea currently hosts about 28,500 US troops. North Korea has long condemned the joint drills and views them as rehearsals for an invasion of the North. North Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement last week that the move shows the United States is not hiding its goal of preparing for a military confrontation with North Korea. South Korean government officials said Seoul is closely discussing with Washington support measures in various areas, both operational and military, taking into account multiple factors such as military readiness on the Korean Peninsula and domestic legal procedures. Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, said Trump is using statements and timing related to the drills to try to persuade North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to come to the table with him. Cha said the move is not unusual, noting that we have seen US presidents use exercises as a tool before. Back in 2018, Trump ordered a suspension of joint drills with South Korea while negotiations between North Korea and the United States were underway. Cha also said one reason the situation is playing out this way is that for Trump, the timing of the drills is a useful tool for sending a clear signal and helps draw media attention away from the Iran issue. Trump is tired of the Iran issue, so he has turned his attention to something else, Cha said.

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