Intro: Seoul weighs scaled-back U.S. drills as Lee urges stronger defence and continued alliance cooperation amid renewed outreach to North Korea.
Seoul
U.S. Forces Korea Commander Xavier Brunson visited South Korea’s Defence Ministry on Tuesday to discuss plans to scale back the Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise, according to media reports, following an order from President Donald Trump to substantially reduce the drills.
Neither the ministry nor USFK immediately commented on the meeting. The development came after Trump said he had instructed the Pentagon to cut the scale of the joint exercises and indicated that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had responded to his outreach.
The issue comes as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pushes for stronger independent defence capabilities while emphasizing that the U.S. alliance remains central to national security.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Lee said a strong alliance and stronger South Korean military capabilities should reinforce each other. He said Seoul should continue preparations for the planned transfer of wartime operational control from the United States during his term.
Lee also urged faster progress on South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarine programme and called for military officers capable of integrated operations as distinctions between battlefields become increasingly blurred.
At a National Security Council meeting, Lee defended civil-defence exercises alongside major U.S.-South Korean drills, saying they were defensive and intended to protect civilians rather than threaten North Korea.
The effort to reduce the drills comes amid signs of renewed U.S.-North Korea diplomatic engagement. Seoul has stressed that maintaining peace is its priority, while also arguing that it must prepare for a worst-case scenario by strengthening its military readiness.