South Korea’s Lee calls for stronger self-defense after Trump cuts drills

President Donald Trump threw annual US-South Korea military exercises into disarray on Sunday when he ordered the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, citing his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and frustration with Seoul's refusal to support American operations against Iran. The 11-day exercises began Monday as scheduled, though it remained unclear which elements were being cut.bbc+1

The announcement, made on Trump's Truth Social platform hours before the drills commenced, drew alarm from allies across the Indo-Pacific and Europe, with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday calling for stronger independent defense capabilities in response.straitstimes

A Familiar Gambit With Higher Stakes

Trump's move reprises his 2018 decision to suspend joint exercises after his Singapore summit with Kim, but the strategic landscape has shifted. North Korea now possesses an estimated 60 nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching the United States, according to the New York Times. Since Trump took office in January 2025, North Korea has conducted at least 26 ballistic missile tests, according to the Telegraph. A May 2026 congressional report found Pyongyang's programs had "raised the threat" to the United States and its allies.nytimes+1

Trump wrote that the exercises "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he said "has been unthreatening and respectful" during his presidency. The Pentagon issued only a single-line response: "The Department of War is actively working on executing the commander in chief's directive."nytimes

Allied Pushback and Seoul's Response

The EU pushed back sharply, with a spokesperson for the European External Action Service stating that North Korea's "ballistic missile launches and the expansion of the DPRK nuclear programme remain a serious threat to regional and global security." Australia also publicly broke with Washington, expressing concern over Trump's characterization of North Korea.euractiv+1

South Korea's presidential office initially said it hoped the Trump-Kim friendship might lead to "meaningful dialogue," but by Tuesday, Lee struck a more assertive tone, calling for faster progress on South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine program and urging completion of the wartime operational control transfer from the US during his term.washingtontimes+1

Analysts See Little Prospect of Diplomacy

Experts cautioned that Kim, emboldened by an expanding arsenal and deepening military cooperation with Russia — including troops deployed to fight in Ukraine — is unlikely to return to negotiations without major concessions. "North Korea is busy profiting from Russia's war against Ukraine while modernizing its own military," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.washingtontimes

Jenny Town of the Stimson Center's 38 North program told Reuters that while the move may be part of a broader effort to create a diplomatic opening, "the haphazard nature of this move is unlikely to make much of an impression in Pyongyang."kwsn+1