Editorials
Reduced military drills must not benefit North Korea alone
Seoul must preserve combined readiness even as Trump scales back South Korea-U.S. exercises to improve his relationship with Pyongyang.
A Black Hawk helicopter flies over Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 17, the first day of the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States.
KIM JONG-HO
U.S. President Donald Trump said he ordered a substantial reduction in joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises because of his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The idea of scaling back regular defensive exercises because they make Pyongyang uncomfortable is troubling. It reflects Trump’s transactional approach of weighing even alliance security in terms of costs and benefits.
South Korea and the United States began the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise Monday. The number of field training exercises at battalion level or above has declined from last year. The South Korean military has said some drills were being distributed throughout the year, but controversy grew after Trump said he personally ordered a “major reduction.” He has also taken a transactional view of South Korea’s alliance contributions, saying Seoul rejected a U.S. request for cooperation on Iran’s denuclearization.
More concerning is that changes in U.S. strategy are making combined operational capabilities increasingly important. Washington wants to use U.S. Forces Korea not only to defend the Korean Peninsula but also as part of its Indo-Pacific forces to counter China. During this year’s exercise, the U.S. military emphasized its ability to project combat power within the first island chain.
For South Korea, which is pursuing the transfer of wartime operational control, such changes should be reason to strengthen combined exercises and improve operational capabilities, not weaken them.
North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and missile capabilities and has openly threatened nuclear attacks against South Korea. If Washington reduces exercises to facilitate dialogue with Pyongyang while Seoul also lowers military tensions in hopes of improving inter-Korean relations, the result could be a security vacuum. Military exercises are not preparations to start a war. They provide deterrence to prevent one.
The government welcomed Trump’s message while pledging to maintain a “firm combined defense posture.” That pledge must be backed by action.
Dialogue and joint military exercises are not mutually exclusive. Credible deterrence is necessary even for diplomacy. If Trump pushes for further reductions to improve relations with Kim, South Korea should not simply follow his lead.
Seoul must strengthen its independent defense capabilities and combined operational readiness while pragmatically expanding security cooperation with Japan and trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan.
The door to peace should remain open. But South Korea must not weaken the strength needed to preserve that peace. Reducing military exercises must not leave North Korea as the only beneficiary.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
