A U.S. Defense Department official said that U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises could be subject to change depending on the Trump administration’s policies and the potential impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, according to RFA. Fred Fleitz, vice chair of the America First Policy Institute and a close associate of U.S. President Donald Trump, also stated the U.S. could consider suspending joint drills if negotiations with North Korea became viable.
Following recent U.S.-South Korea air force drills, Pyongyang issued a statement warning of “strong countermeasures” against the U.S. The underlying message was clear: if the U.S. seeks dialogue with North Korea, it must halt joint military drills. A similar scenario unfolded seven years ago during the U.S.-North Korea summit. Pyongyang’s nuclear program remained intact while joint drills were suspended. It could happen again this time.
The U.S. and North Korea are already hinting at the possibility of another summit. President Trump has referred to North Korea as a “nuclear power” and signaled a willingness for another summit. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been visiting nuclear facilities and stressed the need to fortify its “nuclear shield.” His message: “There will be no denuclearization.”
The U.S.-South Korea security alliance had been in a state of near collapse for four years during the Moon Jae-in administration, following the U.S.- North Korea Singapore Summit in 2018, when Trump and Kim pledged to “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” Not a single live-fire drill was conducted at the regimental level or higher over four years. Drills were limited to computerized war simulations, and some exercises were renamed to avoid provoking Pyongyang, such as the “Hong Gil-dong” drill, which North Korea does not even acknowledge as a drill.
The commander of the U.S. Forces Korea once expressed concern, warning that reliance on computer-based virtual drills could leave troops unprepared for real-world combat. The U.S. military typically does not engage in combat alongside forces that have not trained extensively with them.
Suspending U.S.-South Korea joint drills has long been a key objective for the Kim regime. Meanwhile, Trump views alliances through a transactional lens. He has exaggerated the costs of operating U.S. military aircraft, arguing that joint drills are too expensive. Trump has also expressed skepticism about whether U.S. troops should be stationed in South Korea. He suspended joint drills during the Singapore Summit while making claims that suggested he wanted to withdraw U.S. troops from South Korea.
The most alarming part is that Kim is fully aware of what Trump wants. North Korea is likely to push for an end to joint drills and a reduction—or even withdrawal—of U.S. forces in South Korea, all while maintaining its nuclear arsenal. If Trump and Kim stage another summit vowing denuclearization, some domestic factions will be eager to celebrate it as a breakthrough for peace, unaware of the potential dangers. South Korea faces growing national security risks as such uncertainties threaten the stability of the U.S.-South Korea alliance.