Donald Trump said Sunday that he has directed the Defense Department to scale down joint military exercises with South Korea, citing the country’s refusal to join the war in Iran and his “very good” relationship with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
Trump said the large, annual military drills sent a “signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea, a country with which the U.S. has no formal diplomatic ties but which Trump says has been “unthreatening and respectful” as long as he has been president.
“Based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!” Trump wrote.
Trump also mentioned South Korea’s refusal to join the Iran war.
In exchange for abandoning their nuclear weapons program South Korea relies on their allies’ deterrents. It’s not right to pull up stakes and leave them such a lopsided fight.
If you want that, you agree to let them develop their own program but that’s against UN nonproliferation treaties, so 🤷
Excellent point. In a conventional war South Korea can win. South Korea could tell Trump that if it doesn’t provide a nuclear umbrella, it would develop its own nuclear weapons.