South Korea President calls for defense readiness amid U.S. exercise cuts

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has emphasized the necessity of a strong alliance with the United States alongside an independent national defense, stating that the country must prepare for the ‘worst-case scenario’.

These remarks follow orders from Donald Trump to significantly reduce planned joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea. Trump stated on Truth Social that such exercises send a ‘totally inappropriate and hostile’ signal to North Korea, citing his relationship with Kim Jong-un as a reason for his dissatisfaction with the previous agreements.

Despite these developments, South Korea’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that the ‘Ulchi Freedom Shield’ exercise, involving approximately 18,000 South Korean soldiers, will proceed as scheduled. South Korea also intends to move forward with plans to assume wartime command of its own forces from Washington.