South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea appears to be partly aimed at putting pressure on Seoul.
The comments came after Trump ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce U.S. participation in joint military drills with South Korea. The annual exercises, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, were subsequently shortened from 11 days to five days, while some field-training activities were also reduced. South Korean and U.S. officials were reportedly not informed in advance about Trump’s order.
According to Cho, one reason for the pressure could be South Korea’s position on the Iran war. Washington wants greater support from its allies for its efforts concerning Iran, while Seoul has not moved as quickly as the United States may have wanted. Cho said Trump’s decision appeared to carry a message aimed at encouraging South Korea to cooperate more closely with Washington.
Another important issue is South Korea’s commitment to invest $350 billion in the United States under a trade agreement reached last year. Seoul has not yet announced the detailed investment projects. Cho explained that South Korea has been taking time to examine issues such as commercial viability and legal procedures before moving ahead with the plan.
The reduction in military exercises also has a North Korea dimension. South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said he believed Trump’s decision could be connected to an effort to create conditions for another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump has repeatedly highlighted his relationship with Kim and has shown interest in restarting direct diplomacy with Pyongyang.
For Seoul, the situation is complicated because the United States remains a crucial security ally, while South Korea also has major economic interests in its relationship with Washington.
The latest developments show that military cooperation, trade and investment, and foreign-policy issues such as Iran are becoming increasingly connected in the U.S.-South Korea relationship.