World news | The Guardian
· collected 2026-08-19 · by Raphael Rashid in Seoul
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung had advocated for reducing joint military exercises with the US as a way to draw North Korea back into dialogue. Last week, Donald Trump announced via social media that he would be cutting these drills, echoing one of Lee's own proposals. The move has caused unease in Seoul, however, where some have expressed concern that it weakens a key pillar of deterrence and undermines South Korean security. Conservative parties and newspapers have denounced the decision as a "security disaster", while some progressive outlets see it as a positive step towards reducing tensions with North Korea.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he would be scaling back US military exercises with South Korea, citing his "very good" relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and claiming that the exercises were expensive. The annual drills, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, were originally scheduled to run from August 13-27, but have been reduced in scope and scale at the direction of Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The decision has caused alarm among South Koreans, who rely heavily on the US for their security, as well as other US allies in the region. North Korea has been threatening a "new level" of nuclear deterrence in response to the planned drills, which Pyongyang state media called "a rehearsal for an invasion war."
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who had previously floated the idea of reducing joint military exercises with the US as a tool for drawing North Korea back to the table, has renewed his calls for wartime operational control of the military and progress on South Korea's nuclear submarine programme.
The decision to cut short the drills marks a significant shift in Trump's approach to North Korea, which he had previously criticized for its missile tests and threats. Trump added that US involvement in the exercises would send a "signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he said has been "unthreatening and respectful" to his presidency.
The move has also sparked concerns among analysts and US senators about Trump's willingness to prioritize North Korean denuclearization over South Korea's security. Some have criticized Trump's approach as naive, citing the recent spate of North Korean missile tests and threats.
Written for “US-South Korea Military Tensions” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 21 other(s) covering the same event.
At their first summit, in August last year, the South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, told Donald Trump: “If you, Mr President, become the peacemaker, then I will assist you as the pacemaker.”
asserted
I → tell → pacemaker
The remark at the Oval Office captured the thrust of Lee’s approach to North Korea: dial down the military posturing and make repeated peace overtures to revive dialogue, even if they have been consistently rejected by Pyongyang largely over Seoul’s insistence on denuclearisation.
asserted
they → capture → denuclearisation
Fast forward to this week, and Trump’s move to cut joint military exercises with South Korea echoes what Lee had himself floated, on several occasions, as a possible tool for drawing Pyongyang back to the table.
asserted
Lee → fast → table
Lee’s broader message is that South Korea should take more responsibility for its own defence and reduce its reliance on others.
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Korea → take → others
On Tuesday, he used the moment to renew calls for wartime operational control of the military and progress on his country’s nuclear submarine programme.
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he → use → programme
Trump has delivered on the drills, albeit in the blunt, discourteous fashion typical of the president: via social media, hours before the drills were to begin.
Yet the move has inverted South Korea’s usual political lines, where the left-right divide is shaped more by attitudes toward North Korea – hawks v doves, confrontation v engagement – than by economic or social values.
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divide → deliver → values
Reducing joint drills has long been advocated by some on the Korean left.
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Reducing → reduce → left
A rightwing US president imposing the policy on his centre-left South Korean counterpart lands awkwardly for both sides.
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president → impose → sides
While some see the reduction as potentially useful for diplomacy, the louder concern in Seoul is that Trump is weakening a key pillar of deterrence, and leaving South Korea with little say over decisions that directly affect its security.
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that → see → security
That may strain an alliance that has been the bedrock of security on the peninsula since the Korean war.
uncertain
that → strain → war
The opposition conservative People Power party has called the decision a “security disaster” and warned of a return to “Korea passing”, a term used when Seoul feels sidelined in matters directly affecting it.
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Seoul → call → it
Conservative newspapers have been almost unanimous in calling the cut reckless.
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newspapers → call → cut
The influential Chosun Ilbo has gone further, blaming Lee’s government directly for inviting it.
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Ilbo → go → it
The left has not shared that sense of alarm.
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left → share → alarm
Hankyoreh, one of the country’s main progressive papers, raised no objection to the substance of Trump’s decision, only to how it was delivered: unilaterally and disrespectfully on social media, calling it “regrettable”.
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it → raise → it
Kyunghyang Shinmun took a more positive view, saying the cut could help create an atmosphere for dialogue with North Korea, so long as deterrence held.
uncertain
deterrence → take → Korea
Reducing tensions with North Korea and creating space for dialogue are central to Lee’s agenda.
asserted
Reducing → reduce → agenda
The ruling party has been quiet on the move, but openly welcoming Trump’s decision could put it at odds with a base that has generally viewed Trump with suspicion, if not hostility.
uncertain
that → rule → suspicion
Aside from the domestic politics, the episode is likely to deepen doubts about Washington’s commitment to its allies, doubts that have been building for years since Trump’s first term, said Prof Jaechun Kim, who teaches international relations at Sogang University, in Seoul.
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who → deepen → Seoul
Trust, he argued, is the foundation of any alliance, and remarks like Trump’s reinforce the impression that the US’s obligations are increasingly viewed “through a highly transactional lens”, one that could shape how South Koreans judge US reliability long after Trump has left office.
uncertain
Trump → argue → office
South Korea enjoys protection under the US nuclear umbrella, but public support for an independent deterrent among South Koreans and their neighbours has hovered around or above 70% in recent surveys.
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support → enjoy → surveys
The latest news may push that support higher still.
uncertain
news → push → support
Kim said he expects Pyongyang to welcome any sign of friction within the alliance but doubts that it views improving relations with Washington as a priority, given the stronger backing it now enjoys from China and Russia compared with during Trump’s first term.
asserted
it → say → term
“The irony,” he said, “is that [US] policies intended to reduce American burdens may ultimately strengthen calls for independent nuclear deterrents among US allies.”
uncertain
policies → say → allies
