Trump Guts South Korea War Games Over His “Very Good Relationship” With Kim Jong Un

President Donald Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump said he did not want to send a signal that was “totally inappropriate and hostile” toward Pyongyang and pointed to the cost of the drills, while also criticizing Seoul for not assisting the US war effort against Iran [1, 2]. The announcement came as the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, involving roughly 18,000 South Korean troops, was set to begin an 11-day run on Monday; Trump said it was too late to cancel the drills outright, so Hegseth has instead been ordered to cut back their scope [3, 4].

Why It Sucks:

Conservatives

• Pyongyang gets a win for free. Conservatives argue scaling back Ulchi Freedom Shield over Trump’s “very good relationship” with Kim Jong Un hands North Korea a concession with nothing offered in return, such as a freeze on its weapons programs [1, 3].
• Deterrence erodes as North Korea keeps building. With Pyongyang continuing to expand its missile and nuclear arsenal, conservatives warn cutting joint drills signals weakened US resolve at the worst possible moment [2].
• Alliance credibility takes a hit. Decades of US defense commitments in Asia rest on predictability, and conservatives argue unilaterally slashing a long-planned exercise days before it starts undercuts trust with treaty allies watching how Washington honors its word [4].

Progressives

• Personal rapport with a dictator drives policy. Progressives argue that citing a “good relationship” with a leader accused of systemic human rights abuses to justify a major military decision normalizes Kim’s regime without addressing any of Pyongyang’s conduct [1, 3].
• Ally treated as an afterthought. Progressives say the decision was announced unilaterally, with Seoul informed rather than consulted as an equal partner, reflecting a pattern of alliance relationships handled as transactional favors [2].
• Unrelated grievances shape defense policy. Progressives note Trump tied the cuts partly to criticism of Seoul for not helping with the Iran war, folding an unrelated conflict into a defense commitment allies had no part in shaping [4].

South Koreans

• Deterrence cut days before drills begin. With Ulchi Freedom Shield already set to start Monday and roughly 18,000 South Korean troops mobilized, the scope reduction lands with almost no time to adjust defense planning [3, 4].
• Seoul bears the risk, not Washington. South Koreans face the immediate consequences of any reduced deterrence against a nuclear-armed neighbor, regardless of the cost savings the move offers the United States [2].
• Their defense posture, someone else’s decision. South Korean officials had no apparent role in a call framed around Trump’s personal ties to Kim and grievances over Iran, underscoring how little control Seoul has over its own security arrangements [1, 4].

Sources & Citations:

[1] Washington Post: Trump reduces military exercises with South Korea, citing good ties with Kim Jong Un
[2] CNN: Trump says US will reduce joint military exercises with key ally South Korea
[3] Al Jazeera: Trump says US to ‘substantially reduce’ military drills with South Korea
[4] Axios: Trump tells Hegseth to cut US-South Korea drills after Iran war decision