{"id":2646299,"date":"2026-08-18T05:51:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T09:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/south-korea-president-stresses-us-alliance-as-many-baffled-by-trump-order-to-cut-exercises\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T06:00:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T10:00:39","slug":"south-korea-president-stresses-us-alliance-as-many-baffled-by-trump-order-to-cut-exercises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/south-korea-president-stresses-us-alliance-as-many-baffled-by-trump-order-to-cut-exercises\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea president stresses US alliance as many baffled by Trump order to cut exercises"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsouth-korea-president-stresses-us-alliance-as-many-baffled-by-trump-order-to-cut-exercises%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2646299&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>South Korea\u2019s president emphasized teh importance of a strong U.S.-south Korea alliance for national security, especially amid concerns over U.S. president Donald Trump\u2019s recent decision to abruptly reduce joint military exercises, including the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills. This move, announced just before the start of the drills, was made without consulting South Korea and has sparked worries about the reliability of the alliance forged during the Korean War. Many South Koreans are already distrustful of the U.S. due to Trump\u2019s trade policies and immigration raids affecting Korean workers. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung reinforced the need for a solid military partnership, while experts and media outlets highlighted growing doubts about U.S. trustworthiness among the South Korean public, with recent polls indicating a decline in confidence. north Korea criticized the drills as provocative and vowed to escalate deterrence. Meanwhile,prospects for renewed talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trump appear unlikely without important concessions,as Kim continues to strengthen his military and diplomatic stance amid global conflicts. The overall tone reflects concern over the shifting U.S. commitment and the impact on South Korea\u2019s security and public trust.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SEOUL, South Korea (AP) \u2014 South Korea\u2019s president said Tuesday a solid alliance with the U.S. strengthens the foundation of national security, as many South Koreans were baffled and concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/korea-trump-military-exercises-ae21e0af5ea16f0a74e9a176b3cc2136\">abrupt order<\/a> to \u201csubstantially reduce\u201d joint military exercises.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump made the surprise announcement in a social media post just before U.S. and South Korean soldiers began Monday\u2019s annual <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/south-korea-us-military-drills-north-caaf065af4ddb7ffc276a744be652a5c\">Ulchi Freedom Shield<\/a> exercises, which are largely designed to sharpen readiness against North Korean threats.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4690764\/doj-investigating-college-of-william-and-mary-violations-civil-rights-act\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ investigating College of William and Mary for possible violations of Civil Rights Act<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4690297\/joe-concha-democrats-hasan-piker\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Joe Concha: Democrats will pay for embracing \u2018radical\u2019 Hasan Piker<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4689645\/majority-americans-worse-off-financially-trump-second-term-poll\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Majority of Americans say they\u2019re worse off financially since Trump took office again: Poll<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump cited what he said was a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea\u2019s refusal to join the U.S. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/iran\">war against Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s move was apparently taken without consultations with South Korea and meant to reach out to Kim, deepening concerns about the reliability of the U.S.-South Korean alliance forged in the turmoil of the 1950-53 Korean War.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Confidence in the U.S. has already eroded among many South Koreans because of Trump\u2019s tariff war and last year\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/us-south-korea-ice-raid-georgia-hyundai-9394482c195664d7cc3db67ae998ac05\">immigration raid<\/a> in the U.S. state of Georgia that led to the detainment of hundreds of South Korean workers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s announcement \u201creveals the stark reality of a faltering Korea-U.S. alliance, fueling public anxiety,\u201d South Korea\u2019s Hankook Ilbo newspaper said in an editorial Tuesday. \u201cIt\u2019s absurd that the U.S. appears to treat North Korea more respectfully than its ally South Korea.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-south-korean-leader-calls-for-solid-us-alliance\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">South Korean leader calls for solid US alliance<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a regular Cabinet meeting, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stressed the importance of a firm military alliance with the U.S., saying that \u201cnational security will be further strengthened when the alliance is solid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen we build up our strengths, our value and importance as an ally will further grow,\u201d said Lee, a liberal who has called for a stronger, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/south-korea-lee-us-trump-north-military-00ddc94682d7c37b20b38f96d27e2d33\">self-reliant<\/a> defense posture.<a><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was unclear which parts of the 11-day South Korea-U.S. exercises were being downsized. The South Korean and U.S. militaries earlier said their drills this year would be similar in scale to previous years and incorporate lessons from recent conflicts such as North Korea\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/north-korea-ukraine-war-russia-0f34fb82cfdd267652f8df8bc3c574ec\">battlefield experiences<\/a> in the Russia-Ukraine front. They also said the drills are defensive in nature.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">North Korea\u2019s Foreign Ministry accused South Korea and the U.S. of plotting <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/north-south-korea-us-drills-missiles-346a977644e51b96d9d1f9abf9cd83fc\">more provocative drills<\/a> this year and vowed to respond with \u201ca new level of a deterrent.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-prospects-unclear-for-reengagement-between-trump-and-kim\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prospects unclear for reengagement between Trump and Kim<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kim has shunned any talks with the U.S. and South Korea since his earlier high-profile diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Experts say Kim won\u2019t likely embrace Trump\u2019s overture and return to talks anytime soon unless he is promised bigger U.S. concessions. Kim has boosted his military and diplomatic credentials in recent years by enlarging his nuclear arsenal and aligning with Russia over its <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/russia-ukraine\">war against Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-north-south-korea-military-drills-kim-84d2ae42b527d6a71d2e7d69acf8483d\">Lee\u2019s presidential office<\/a> on Monday expressed hopes that a \u201cfriendly relationship\u201d between Trump and Kim would lead to \u201cmeaningful dialogue\u201d between their countries to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. That invited a backlash from conservatives, who criticized Lee\u2019s government for allegedly prioritizing resumption of Kim-Trump diplomacy over security concerns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSouth Korea\u2019s security bulwark is being shaken to its very foundations,\u201d Park Chung-kwon, a spokesperson for the main conservative opposition People Power Party, said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A weakening of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/south-korea-us-joint-military-drills-ulchi-north-korea-nuclear-23193fcdad2af7e1b9ae9a40f3b7396f\">U.S. defense commitment<\/a> could shake South Korea\u2019s national security as it has no nuclear weapons and is under the so-called U.S. \u201cnuclear umbrella\u201d protection, which guarantees a devastating American response in the event of an attack on its ally by nuclear-armed North Korea. The U.S. has about 28,500 troops in South Korea.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-doubts-about-us-alliance-grow-in-south-korea\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Doubts about US alliance grow in South Korea<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his social media post, Trump said the military exercises with South Korea are not only costly but \u201csend a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile\u201d to North Korea, which he said \u201chas been unthreatening and respectful\u201d during his time in the White House. Trump said he asked Lee if South Korea would join the U.S. in the \u201cdenuclearization\u201d of Iran, \u201cand they said, \u2018No thanks!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lee\u2019s office said South Korea and the U.S. are closely discussing practical and military contributions that South Korea can make to help restore freedom of navigation in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-uae-us-strait-hormuz-august-14-2026-e8565c608ac5283ec8103c85df924b13\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTrump thinks of an alliance as an investment that should pay regular dividends, or a rainy-day fund he can withdraw from when another project isn\u2019t going well,\u201d said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSouth Korean leaders understand that relations with the Trump administration will be a constant renegotiation linking economic and security issues. Seoul is thus cautiously responding to recent developments within that framework,\u201d Easley said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A recent survey jointly conducted by South Korea\u2019s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper and the East Asia Institute, a Seoul-based research group, showed 46.4% of respondents in South Korea viewed the U.S. as \u201cnot a trustworthy partner\u201d while 45.4% called it \u201ctrustworthy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was the first time that more Koreans said they could not trust the U.S. than said they could since the East Asia Institute began asking the question in 2017, JoongAng Ilbo reported.<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/author\/hyung-jin-kim\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>S. Korea urges strong US alliance amid military exercise concerns<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2634,"featured_media":2646300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/South-Korea-President-Lee-Jae-Myung-e1787044066623.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[34188,3634,84306],"class_list":["post-2646299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-south-korea","tag-trump","tag-us-alliance"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/South-Korea-President-Lee-Jae-Myung-e1787044066623.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2634"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2646299"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2646303,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646299\/revisions\/2646303"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2646300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2646299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2646299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2646299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}