‘No intention to attack N Korea’: S Korea Prez Lee after Trump reduces US drills
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung defended joint military exercises with the U.S. as defensive measures while calling for increased independent defense capabilities. This follows President Trump's directive to reduce the scale of these joint drills.
Why it matters
The shift in military exercise policy impacts regional security dynamics on the Korean Peninsula and the U.S.-South Korea alliance.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called for stronger independent defence capabilities while defending annual civil-defence exercises held alongside joint US-South Korea military drills, saying they are defensive and not intended to threaten North Korea.Lee's remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump instructed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea and said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had responded to his outreach.At a Cabinet meeting, Lee said Seoul should continue with its existing plan to transfer wartime operational control from the United States during his presidency.“A strong alliance makes the foundation of security stronger, and strengthening our own capabilities increases our value and necessity as an ally,” Lee said, stressing that the US-South Korea alliance and South Korea's independent defence capabilities should reinforce each other.He also called for faster progress on South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine programme and urged the development of…
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