US President Donald Trump has ordered the Department of War to downsize military exercises and training with South Korea. In a post on Truth Social, he cited his “very good relationship with [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un” as reasoning why.
The United States has maintained close military cooperation and a permanent military presence in South Korea since the Korean War in the early 1950s. Since then, the Korean peninsula has largely remained stable under the arrangement that a roughly four kilometre-wide Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separates North Korea and South Korea. This ceasefire deal, while providing a tense but peaceful status quo, never officially ended the conflict.
Both North and South Korea are recognised by the United Nations.
Much like his controversial relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump has consistently sought friendlier ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In his First Administration, Trump visited the DMZ and met with both South and North Korean leaders, also becoming the first US President to set foot on North Korean soil.
As part of decades-long military ties, the US military conducts exercises and sells military equipment to South Korea to deter a new conflict with the North. However, in his First Administration, Trump negotiated an agreement where South Korea would begin paying the United States annually for military support.
North Korea is one of the world’s nine countries with nuclear weapons, with South Korea claiming this could include between 80-120 warheads. Since 2014, North Korea has frequently test-launched its nuclear-capable missiles into the Sea of Japan, close to South Korea and Japan – two major US allies in the region. One test in 2022 saw a North Korean missile overfly northern Japan, triggering sirens which instructed civilians to take shelter.
A United Nations Security Council resolution in 2006 established sanctions to restrict North Korea’s development and testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
Intending to build on his relationship with Kim Jong Un as established in his first term, President Trump posted on Truth Social that he was “not happy” with the US participating in military exercises with South Korea. He also confirmed US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had been instructed to substantially decrease the number of joint US-South Korea exercises.
This is part of a continuing trend in which Trump is pushing the United States out of alignment with its historical allies, as has been previously seen with Europe and Canada. South Korea is significantly reliant on the United States for military technology, in particular air-defence systems to protect itself against any future North Korean attack.
However, while Trump is critical of the status quo with South Korea, this is not a one-sided relationship. South Korea, while not as openly critical of China as the US, is strategically located and provides the US access to its military bases.
Regardless of how his relationship with South Korea impacts the US’s long-term goals, President Trump has stated his intent to meet with Kim Jong Un as soon as this year. Although it is unclear under which circumstances the summit could be held and in which country.