South Korea hopes for talks between US and North Korea after Trump downsizes military drills
Seoul said the move could help restart U.S.-North Korea diplomacy as the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise began, with 18,000 South Korean troops taking part.
- The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises began on Monday in South Korea, though President Donald Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" the drills, citing his "good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
- Hours before exercises began, Trump labeled the drills "inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea in a social media post, claiming Pyongyang has remained "unthreatening and respectful" during his time in the White House.
- Focusing on drone warfare and cyber attacks, the maneuvers involve 18,000 South Korean and U.S. troops; the Blue House stated it remains in "close coordination" with Washington regarding the training schedule.
- Reviewing the comments, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's office expressed hopes that the "friendly relationship" between Washington and Pyongyang could lead to "meaningful dialogue" on the Korean Peninsula.
- Downsizing exercises "can damage alliance coordination," analyst Easley warned, while North Korea vowed on Friday to respond to such drills with "a new level of a deterrent.
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96 Articles
DEXYPTAGE - The American president, who reduced the size of the annual military maneuvers with Seoul, wants to take back language with the dictator of Pyongyang, yet ally of Moscow and Beijing.
South Korea hopes that Donald Trump's decision to scale down the country's military exercises will help America talk to the North Korean dictator. Trump has called the annual joint US-South Korean exercises too expensive and says he has a great relationship with Pyongyang. But other countries in the region have warned of the North Korean threat and fear further concessions to the regime.
The usual annual joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington, scheduled this year until August 27, were disrupted by Donald Trump, who announced a reduced American participation so as not to send "a totally inappropriate and hostile signal to Pyongyang." A major blow for Seoul, which is trying to contain the situation.
Trump says U.S. will scale back on South Korea military drills, citing his ‘very good relationship’ with Kim Jong Un
President Donald Trump said on Sunday, August 16, that he had directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, pointing to his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The announcement came just hours before the annual drills, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, were set to begin, raising questions about the future of the decades-old military alliance between the two c…
On Tuesday, 18 August, the South Korean presidency assured us that the annual manoeuvres launched with the United States were not intended to "attack" North Korea, after Donald Trump announced that he would reduce US participation in the operation.
The South Korean president says the goal is not to attack Pyongyang. On Monday, Donald Trump has already announced that he is reducing American participation in these annual military manoeuvres.
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