Lee backs US alliance after Trump cuts South Korea military drills

Seoul,UPDATED: Aug 18, 2026 12:22 IST

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Tuesday that a strong alliance with the United States strengthens national security, after US President Donald Trump abruptly ordered a substantial reduction in joint military exercises between the two countries. The move, announced in a social media post just before the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills began on Monday, left many South Koreans confused and worried about the state of the alliance.

Trump said he was acting because of what he described as a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea's refusal to join the US war against Iran. His decision, apparently taken without consultations with Seoul, deepened concerns about the reliability of the alliance formed during the 1950-53 Korean War, at a time when confidence in the US had already weakened among many South Koreans.

At a regular Cabinet meeting, Lee stressed the importance of the alliance, saying that "national security will be further strengthened when the alliance is solid". He added, "When we build up our strengths, our value and importance as an ally will further grow." Lee, a liberal, has called for a stronger and more self-reliant defence posture.

It was not immediately clear which parts of the 11-day exercises would be cut back. South Korean and US militaries had earlier said this year's drills would be similar in scale to previous years and would include lessons from recent conflicts, including North Korea's battlefield experience on the Russia-Ukraine front. They also said the drills were defensive in nature.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry accused South Korea and the US of planning more provocative drills this year and vowed to respond with "a new level of a deterrent". Kim has avoided talks with the US and South Korea since his earlier diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019. Experts say he is unlikely to respond to Trump's overture and return to talks soon unless he is offered bigger US concessions. In recent years, Kim has expanded his nuclear arsenal and strengthened ties with Russia over its war in Ukraine.

Lee's presidential office said on Monday that it hoped the "friendly relationship" between Trump and Kim would lead to "meaningful dialogue" between their countries to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. That drew criticism from the conservative opposition, which accused Lee's government of putting the resumption of Kim-Trump diplomacy ahead of security concerns. "South Korea's security bulwark is being shaken to its very foundations," People Power Party spokesperson Park Chung-kwon said in a statement.

The unease has been sharpened by wider strains in ties with Washington. Many South Koreans have already been unsettled by Trump's tariff war and by last year's immigration raid in the US state of Georgia, which led to the detention of hundreds of South Korean workers. An editorial in Hankook Ilbo said Trump's announcement "reveals the stark reality of a faltering Korea-US alliance, fuelling public anxiety" and added, "It's absurd that the US appears to treat North Korea more respectfully than its ally South Korea." A recent survey by JoongAng Ilbo and the East Asia Institute found that 46.4 per cent of respondents in South Korea saw the US as "not a trustworthy partner", while 45.4 per cent called it "trustworthy". JoongAng Ilbo said it was the first time since 2017 that more South Koreans said they could not trust the US than said they could.

A weaker US defence commitment could have serious implications for South Korea, which does not have nuclear weapons and depends on the US "nuclear umbrella" for protection against nuclear-armed North Korea. The US has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea. In his social media post, Trump said the joint exercises were not only costly but "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he said "has been unthreatening and respectful" during his time in the White House. Trump also said he had asked Lee if South Korea would join the US in the "denuclearisation" of Iran, adding, "and they said, No thanks!" Lee's office said South Korea and the US were closely discussing practical and military contributions Seoul could make to help restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said, "Trump thinks of an alliance as an investment that should pay regular dividends, or a rainy-day fund he can withdraw from when another project isn't going well." He added, "South Korean leaders understand that relations with the Trump administration will be a constant renegotiation linking economic and security issues. Seoul is thus cautiously responding to recent developments within that framework." Lee's remarks, the opposition backlash and the public reaction together reflected growing concern in South Korea over Trump's move and the future of the alliance with the US.

With PTI Inputs

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