Trump wants to be friends with Kim - but South Korea could pay the price

ByJake Kwon

Seoul correspondent

South Korea's yearly subject exercises with the US travel to an abrupt extremity connected Friday.

Ulchi Freedom Shield, which involves 18,000 South Korean troops and 11 different American state nations, is being halted with lone fractional of the scheduled programme implicit - days aft US President Donald Trump announced helium had ordered the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" the drill.

This revelation by Trump, who called the workout "inappropriate and hostile" towards North Korea and costly to the US, caught his allies by surprise.

Seoul's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun tried to overgarment the determination arsenic 1 of communal agreement, but admitted officials did not cognize of Trump's intent to standard down the workout successful advance.

The determination volition besides person rattled the likes of Taiwan and Japan, which person agelong relied connected US information guarantees successful the region.

Trump, who has besides criticised Seoul for refusing to instrumentality portion successful enactment against Iran, has said helium expects to conscionable North Korean person Kim Jong Un aboriginal this year.

And portion South Korea has agelong been keen connected Trump reaching retired to Kim arsenic a means of maintaining diplomacy, it would not person wanted it to travel with demands for currency and subject assistance successful Iran.

Seoul considers the yearly exercises with the US halfway to the confederation and a objection of US committedness to support it against Pyongyang.

Although it has traditionally been blessed to standard down oregon suspend the exercises successful bid to lure North Korea to bid talks, Trump's unilateral and abrupt determination to propulsion his troops aboriginal has shaken South Korean assurance successful the US arsenic an ally, according to Jo Bee-yun, a Senior Research Fellow astatine the Atlantic Council.

There is simply a fearfulness that Trump whitethorn spell further and gully down the 27,000 US troops stationed successful South Korea oregon adjacent wantonness the longstanding argumentation of denuclearising the North - each without consulting its ally.

The 2 Koreas are technically inactive astatine warfare since they did not motion a bid pact aft the Korean War. Reuniting with the South had ever been a key, if progressively unrealistic, portion of the North's ideology until Kim abandoned it successful 2024.

Despite this, the threats against the South haven't stopped. Days earlier the subject exercise, North Korea launched ballistic missiles towards Japan and repeated a informing that it had the close to workout its atomic weapons should the state beryllium threatened. More missiles were launched connected Thursday.

A larger interest for South Korea this clip is that the Trump medication nary longer separates information and commercialized issues. Trump said helium was unhappy with South Korea's refusal to articulation him successful his warfare successful Iran but helium besides has been unhappy with it arsenic a trading partner.

His medication has complained that the country's $1bn (£734m) yearly spending to big the US troops is not enough, that it is dragging its feet successful investing the $350bn it has pledged, and that it is discriminating against US companies operating successful the country.

Now that commercialized disputes are evolving into nationalist information concerns, immoderate person called for South Korea to trim its reliance connected the US.

Cheong Seong-chang, vice-president astatine the Sejong Institute think-tank and a proponent of South Korea processing its ain atomic weapons, says Seoul indispensable support its confederation with the US but besides "take steps to get its ain atomic deterrence".

While the bulk of its nationalist supports a atomic South Korea, the authorities has argued that acquiring the weaponry is unnecessary and adjacent harmful to the country's web of alliances. Such reasoning could displacement if the US withdraws further from Asia.

Meanwhile, South Korea has been trying to marque the champion of Trump's determination to extremity the drills early.

President Lee Jae Myung, who has sought to repair relations with the North, praised Trump successful a station connected X. "I judge [your societal media post] was a bold determination that is the effect of your heavy information to execute peace," helium wrote.

Lee pledged to summation his country's defence spending and said helium "fully agrees" with Trump's presumption the state should beryllium liable for its security.

Since Trump's archetypal term, Seoul has seen his seemingly capricious attack to diplomacy arsenic some a hazard and an opportunity. With a premix of flattery and unsighted optimism, Seoul succeeded successful mounting up a first-ever gathering betwixt a sitting US president and Kim Jong Un successful 2018.

However, instantly aft the meeting, Trump abruptly announced a suspension of associated subject drills with South Korea.

He walked distant from a 2nd gathering successful 2019 without an statement erstwhile Kim refused to springiness up his full atomic facilities. Beyond the little made-for-TV gathering astatine Panmunjom aboriginal the aforesaid year, the 2 leaders haven't engaged successful immoderate important negotiation.

It was Seoul that bore the brunt of Pyongyang's ire pursuing these summits. North Korea demolished the South's liaison bureau successful its territory and aboriginal swore disconnected each connection with them. It introduced a caller instrumentality making sharing of South Korean films and TV shows punishable by death, and codified the close to usage atomic weapons successful its constitution.

Meanwhile Trump has maintained that helium enjoys a "great relationship" with Kim, telling reporters connected Wednesday: "He likes me".

But Kim's almighty sister, Kim Yo Jong, said successful a connection that she knew thing astir Trump's assertion her member had contacted him recently, adding it "must beryllium the lone happening I americium unaware of successful our overseas policy".

She besides repeated the North's presumption that it would ne'er springiness up its atomic weapons arsenic they heighten the equilibrium and stableness of the region.

Kim Yo Jong besides said the scaling down of the drills with South Korea "doesn't merit (her country's) involvement nor comment", nor alteration their "hostile and violative nature," she was quoted arsenic saying successful authorities media.

Although Trump said helium would conscionable Kim Jong Un aboriginal successful the year, fewer experts judge determination volition beryllium different summit, particularly portion Kim is profiting from an confederation with Moscow and strengthening his narration with China. Unless Trump is acceptable to publically judge North Korea arsenic a atomic state, its cardinal demand, determination is nary incentive.

The scaling down of the drills is already a large concession, not lone for Pyongyang but besides for Beijing, which shares the presumption that the exercises are a menace to its security.

It perchance besides leaves the doorway unfastened to further demands by North Korea astatine a clip erstwhile the state appears stronger militarily.

Despite Trump's repeated assertion that it poses nary threat, the state has ne'er stopped sharpening its warring capability. It has tested atomic bombs six times and has the capableness to present them via agelong scope missiles that tin scope continental US.

More recently, the state has joined Russia's warfare successful Ukraine, wherever it has supplied what is believed to beryllium billions of dollars' worthy of artillery shells and missiles, arsenic good arsenic astatine slightest 13,000 troops. While it has suffered thousands of casualties, its troops are present drone-savvy, having absorbed the lessons of the Ukraine war.

As Jo Bee-yun sees it, determination isn't overmuch South Korea tin bash to support itself against the North, making its US confederation "a substance of life-and-death".