South Korea and US Shorten Military Exercises Following Trump’s Order

The South Korean and US militaries have agreed to significantly shorten their joint military exercises at the request of the United States, South Korean officials said today.

This move most likely reflects US President Donald Trump’s hopes of reestablishing contact with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which, however, could undermine US-South Korean defense readiness, reports the AP agency.

The South Korean military announced today that the ongoing military exercises with the US will conclude on Friday, rather than on August 27 as originally planned. It was stated that the allies have also agreed to reduce the scope of some joint exercises and field training.

Trump ordered the Pentagon chief to reduce the scope of the 11-day summer military exercise between the two allies just before it began on Monday.

Trump cited good relations with Kim, and South Korea’s refusal to support him regarding Iran, as reasons for his decision.

It was stated that South Korea and the US will consider and implement various steps to achieve the objectives of the exercises and establish a combined defensive posture.

Many experts believe that Trump’s move threatens to harm the joint US-South Korean defensive posture and ultimately weaken the decades-long alliance.

The reduction or suspension of military exercises is significant because military commanders are periodically rotated. A one-year suspension of exercises would mean that commanders unfamiliar with exercise procedures would participate when they resume, said Yang Wook, an analyst at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul.  

These exercises, called “Ulchi Freedom Shield,” are largely computer-simulated command post drills aimed at improving the allies’ ability to respond to potential North Korean aggression. The two countries usually also conduct some field training during the command post exercise period.

These exercises and similar spring drills are a central pillar of the US-South Korean alliance, which dates back to the 1950-1953 Korean War. However, they have also long been a source of tension with North Korea, which has condemned the exercises as a rehearsal for invasion and responded with provocative missile tests. Several days before the start of this month’s exercises, North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the sea.

This month’s maneuvers were supposed to take place in two phases. The first part, until Friday, was to focus on defensive operations simulating North Korean attacks, while the second part, until August 27, was to practice counteroffensive operations. North Korea is particularly sensitive to counteroffensive drills. 

North Korea has not responded to Trump’s move. However, earlier today, the state news agency KCNA published a commentary accusing the US-South Korean military exercises of being “extremely dangerous.”