SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – JUNE 6: South Korea’s new president Lee Jae-myung speaks during a ceremony commemorating Korea Memorial Day at Seoul National Cemetery on June 6, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea marks the 70th anniversary of Memorial Day, honoring those who died during military service in the 1950-53 Korean War. (Photo by Jeon Heon-Kyun – Pool/Getty Images) Pool | Getty Images News | Getty Images South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Tuesday that maintaining peace was “the most important thing” for the country, but that it must prepare for the “worst-case scenario.” His comments come after US President Donald Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” joint exercises with Seoul so as not to “send a totally inappropriate and hostile signal” to North Korea. In a Truth Social post on Sunday in the United States, Trump cited his “very good” relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and described the country as “harmless and respectful.” Lee said Tuesday that the annual exercises, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, are defensive and not aimed at attacking North Korea or raising tensions on the peninsula, according to a CNBC translation of the Korean statement. The joint military exercises that began on Monday are scheduled to last until Aug. 27, with around 18,000 South Korean military personnel participating. Pyongyang has long denounced the joint exercises, calling them a rehearsal to invade the North. The country’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement last week that “by doing so, [the U.S.] “This is tantamount to admitting that the exercises, which the US and the ROK describe as ‘annual’ and ‘defensive,’ are a rehearsal for a war of aggression,” he added. Trump’s comments also come as he accused Seoul of failing to help the US in the conflict with Iran, saying on Monday that “we have 39,000 troops there protecting them from Kim Jong Un, his next” US Forces Korea, the command authority for Washington’s forces in South Korea, consists of approximately 28,500 troops. Officials from South Korea’s presidential office said, “We are closely discussing practical and military contribution measures with the US side, taking into account various factors such as preparation on the Korean Peninsula and domestic legal procedures,” South Korean media reported on Monday. Trump, using his rhetoric and the timing of the exercises, is trying to lure North Korea’s Kim to meet with him, according to Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, with Cha adding that “this is not unusual.” We’ve seen the president use military exercises as a tool in the past.” In 2018, Trump had suspended exercises with South Korea while negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington were underway. Cha also said that part of the reason we’re seeing this now is because for Trump, the timing of the exercises is a useful instrument to send a concrete message and get headlines out of Iran. “Trump is tired of Iran… so he’s moving on to something else.” CNBC’s Jenny Lee contributed to this report.Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.
