In recent days, US President Donald Trump has taken a number of steps related to US-South Korean relations and the long-standing military alliance between the two countries. He instructed the Pentagon to "significantly reduce the scale" of the decades-long joint military exercises "Shield of Freedom Ulchi", and a day later stated that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had responded to his friendly gestures.
This development of events is today a major topic in the American and British press.
Great Britain
With the start of the annual military exercises between the US and South Korea - "Shield of Freedom Ulchi", Trump caused a shock, announced that he had ordered a "significant reduction" in the scale of the maneuvers, citing his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the British newspaper "Financial Times" writes.
The unexpected salvo, which the American president made through a post on his social network Truth Social, shook South Korean security structures and increased concerns in Seoul about the reliability of its most important defense partner, the publication says.
Analysts say that the "Ulchi Freedom Shield" exercises, which have been held since 1976, are a cornerstone of the allies' efforts to maintain combat readiness against North Korea. This year's 11-day program includes 14 exercises that include drone attacks, GPS jamming, methods for conducting electronic and cyber warfare, etc.
John Lee, an expert at the Korea Risk Group think tank, said, quoted by the Financial Times, that although Seoul and Washington publicly reject the possibility that Trump's decision will have any consequences for the readiness of the two allied armies to respond to threats from North Korea, "people will start asking uncomfortable questions."
Trump's statements "sound like he is parroting Pyongyang's position," said Mason Ritchie, a professor of international politics at Hankuk University in Seoul.
The American president indicated that the exercises were "inappropriate and hostile" to "the non-threatening and respect“ North Korea. In addition, Trump said that his decision was “somewhat related“ to Seoul's refusal to support US military action against Iran.
We see “another example of how unreliable an ally the US is at the moment, whether it is allies in Asia or in Europe“, commented Ritchie, quoted by “Financial Times“.
The exercises began yesterday as planned, but neither Washington nor Seoul specified which elements of the maneuvers could be canceled. However, Trump's decision was another test for the alliance, which was formed during the Korean War, the “Financial Times“ notes.
In March, the Pentagon transferred part of the THAAD air defense systems deployed in South Korea to the Middle East (THAAD).
A few weeks earlier, Seoul expressed dissatisfaction that it had not received sufficient information about a US exercise with F-16 fighters stationed at the Osan air base. South Korean authorities indicated that the US fighters had carried out maneuvers near China's air defense identification zone, the Financial Times recalls.
Lee noted that the downsizing of the Ulchi Freedom Shield coincided with the relocation of the USS George Washington carrier strike group to the Middle East. The expert added that there is currently no other US aircraft carrier in the western Pacific.
Economic ties between Washington and Seoul have also become strained recently, the Financial Times notes. Times. The Trump administration is increasingly frustrated that South Korea is delaying the implementation of projects it has pledged to invest $350 billion in in exchange for reduced US tariffs on its goods.
Trump has in the past cancelled major US-South Korean military exercises in connection with his diplomatic approach to Kim Jong-un, the Guardian newspaper reports. After his first summit with the North Korean leader in 2018, Trump ordered the cancellation of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise scheduled for that year. At that time, the program of other military maneuvers was also cut, which subsequently underwent changes and were renewed in new forms and under different names, the British newspaper recalls.
According to Jeon Song-chan, deputy director of the Seoul-based think tank Sejong, if he meets Kim again, Trump could go even further. It is possible that in such a development, the US president could decide to cancel all exercises or reduce the number of US forces stationed in South Korea without consulting Seoul, Jeon believes.
Lim Il-chul, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University, told the Guardian that Pyongyang was unlikely to be impressed by Trump's statements. North Korea would only attach importance to the complete cancellation of military exercises, Lim said.
Pyongyang has strengthened its military ties with Moscow since 2024, when the two countries signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement. Under this treaty, North Korea is supporting Russia's military campaign in Ukraine by supplying artillery shells and ballistic missiles, the Guardian recalls.
Over 14,000 North Korean soldiers fought on the side of Russian forces in the Kursk region, the British newspaper recalls. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently warned that Russia was preparing to accept another 30,000 North Korean soldiers.
The construction of the first road bridge connecting Russia and North Korea is also expected to be completed soon. An analysis of data published in open sources indicates that the bridge over the Tyumen River will be used more as a military logistics corridor than as a trade route. Russian state media reported that the facility is expected to open in September, the British newspaper added.
USA
Throughout his political career, Trump has viewed the alliance with South Korea as disadvantageous to the United States and has regularly accused Seoul of not paying its share of the costs of US forces stationed in the country, the “New York Times“ writes. During his first term, Trump unilaterally canceled or scaled back major military exercises, describing them as “terribly expensive“ and “very provocative“. This helped organize three summits between Trump and Kim, but prevented the limitation of North Korean nuclear ambitions, the American publication notes.
Since returning to the White House in January last year, Trump has signaled that he is ready to renew this personal diplomacy. Over the weekend, the US president posted a photo of himself with the North Korean leader from 2019. "Kim Jong-un and I are getting along GREAT!" Trump wrote under the photo.
"Trump's characterization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as a "non-threat" and "respectful" country has raised concerns among allies who have watched the regime steadily improve its missile and nuclear capabilities, said Emma Chanlet-Avery, deputy director of the US think tank Asia Society Policy Institute. At the same time, Russia's patronage of Pyongyang is growing due to its support for it in the war against Ukraine, Chanlet-Avery added.
One of the goals of the exercise “Ulchi Freedom Shield“ is to test the ability of the South Korean and American armies to react quickly in capturing key areas of the so-called First Island Chain - a long archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, seen by Washington as a strategic border against China's expansive territorial claims, told the “New York Times“ Lieutenant General Joseph E. Hilbert of the US Eighth Army stationed in South Korea.
One of the reasons Trump cited when announcing that he was scaling back the exercise was that South Korea had refused to participate in military action against Iran.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry promised yesterday to continue coordination with the United States on both joint military exercises and the issue of Iran, the “New York Times“ notes.
According to some, Trump's approach to North Korea is not entirely unacceptable to South Korean President Lee Jae-myeon, who is a staunch supporter of the idea of inter-Korean reconciliation, the publication also writes. Lee recently called on Trump to take measures to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula and begin direct talks with Kim. North Korea has long cited joint exercises as a major obstacle to these efforts, calling them a "rehearsal for a war of conquest," the New York Times concluded.