Republican calls on Trump to resume joint U.S.–South Korean military exercises
Kyiv • UNN
Congressman Rich McCormick called on Trump to resume full-scale U.S.–South Korean exercises. After the reduction, North Korea launched missiles.
Republican Congressman Rich McCormick called on U.S. President Donald Trump to resume full-scale joint military exercises with South Korea, which Washington decided to scale back. Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
Details
The United States and South Korea agreed to scale back the joint exercises after Trump ordered their scope to be reduced. The American president explained the decision by citing his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
I hope this is temporary
According to him, Washington should demonstrate greater commitment to South Korea, which is a longtime U.S. ally in Asia.
South Korea should be kept closer to us, rather than to other countries that are essentially investing in communism
Military exercises and North Korea's response
McCormick, who is a combat veteran and serves on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, emphasized the importance of joint exercises for military cooperation between the two countries.
They see the world the same way. They have one enemy, one struggle
After the decision to scale back the exercises, North Korea opposed it, calling the changes insignificant. Later, the DPRK launched several short-range ballistic missiles.
The allies' joint exercises ended on Friday, six days earlier than originally planned. Trump called them an "inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea.
McCormick said he was not sure what circumstances had influenced the U.S. president's decision to scale back the exercises, acknowledging that Trump had more information on the matter.