(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ko Il-hwan and Shin Jae-woo = When U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a reduction in joint military exercises between Korea and the United States on the 16th (local time), criticism continued from the U.S. opposition that it could damage the ROK-U.S. alliance.
Major U.S. media outlets also pointed out that this decision could increase anxiety among Asian allies at a time when U.S. military resources are being concentrated in the Middle East due to the war with Iran.
Democratic Senator Andy Kim (New Jersey), who is of Korean descent, issued a statement to
Referring to his experience meeting South Korean and American soldiers in Seoul last year, he said, "Decisions on joint training should be made jointly and not announced unilaterally through social media."
He continued, "Korea is an essential partner for peace and security in a region where danger always exists," and added, "Instead of expressing dissatisfaction on social media, we should treat them accordingly."
Senator Mark Kelly (Arizona) of the same party also criticized through
Rep. Kelly is a Navy pilot and a veteran who flew 39 combat missions, including the Gulf War.
The daily New York Times (NYT) pointed out, "This announcement could further amplify the concerns of Asian allies about what the United States is willing to do to curb China at a time when enormous resources and attention are being focused on the war between the United States and Israel against Iran."
The NYT also pointed out that the United States is moving military resources deployed in Asia to the Middle East as it experiences a shortage of key weapons due to the war with Iran.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) diagnosed, "The United States has long emphasized that it is strongly committed to the defense of South Korea in order to prevent South Korea from developing its own nuclear weapons, but President Trump's decision to scale back major military exercises may complicate achieving these policy goals."
WSJ also pointed out that Korea is a country that is investing in the shipbuilding industry, where the United States is lagging behind.
The Associated Press pointed out that President Trump's order to reduce joint training was "the most recent example of an attitude that appears to be opposing an ally while siding with the leader of a hostile country," and evaluated the Trump administration's sharp turn from its stance toward Korea in recent months.
In fact, after meeting with Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-baek last May, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth highly praised Korea's promise to increase defense spending and its leadership in security on the Korean Peninsula.
In addition, local U.S. media outlets analyzed whether President Trump's order was part of pressure on Korea, an ally.
Bloomberg News interpreted that the background to the policy change was dissatisfaction with ally South Korea's failure to provide more support in the Iran war.
Some experts expressed the view that the lack of progress in the $200 billion investment project in the United States agreed upon in the Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations may have been related to the decision to reduce training.
Adam Farrar, a senior analyst at Bloomberg Economics who served as director of Korean Peninsula and Mongolia at the White House National Security Council (NSC) during the first Trump and Biden administrations, said, “Whether it is the lack of progress in the investment agreement with the United States or the refusal to support the war with Iran, it may reflect dissatisfaction with the Korean government.”
Meanwhile, negative predictions were also raised about whether the reduction in joint training would bring North Korea back to the dialogue table.
“With Russia’s support, Kim Jong-un has secured a stronger position and has so far shown little interest in engaging in dialogue,” said senior analyst Farrar.
