South Korean authorities were not informed in advance of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun made the statement on Wednesday during an address to the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.
Cho said that neither the South Korean government nor U.S. officials had been informed in advance of the order Trump published on his Truth Social account. The minister said, "We were not informed in advance."
The schedule for the joint exercise changed
Following Trump's order, the United States and South Korea decided to shorten the ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise by about a week and scale back the scope of some joint field training exercises.
The annual exercise, which began on Monday, had been scheduled to end on August 27. Under the change, the exercise will end on Friday.
On Sunday, Trump ordered the Pentagon to "significantly reduce" planned joint military exercises with South Korea. The U.S. president cited the cost of the exercises and his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as reasons for the decision.
Cho said South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back was believed to be conducting "close consultations" with his U.S. counterparts. He said the decision could not be considered a unilateral notification to South Korea because Ahn had participated in the discussions.
Transfer of operational control remains on the agenda
Cho was asked about the impact of the shortened exercise on the transfer of wartime operational control. The minister said the United States had reduced the exercises at its own request and that this should not be used as a reason to delay the transfer process further.
A possible Trump-Kim summit
The South Korean minister said that if a summit between Trump and Kim Jong-un takes place in the fall, it could create "a new turning point."
Cho said the South Korean government was making comprehensive preparations to open channels of dialogue with North Korea. Cho said they would maintain close consultations with the United States to avoid missing this opportunity and added that they had asked the United States for details of the contact between Washington and Pyongyang that Trump said had taken place recently.
Responding to a question about whether Washington would exclude Seoul from the dialogue process with North Korea, Cho said his ministry would consult with relevant U.S. agencies and take the necessary steps quickly. Cho said they would do everything possible to prevent the South Korea-U.S. alliance from weakening.
North Korea reacts to the exercise
North Korean state media also condemned the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise on Wednesday. The exercise was described in the statement as "the closest and clearest threat" to the country's and the region's security.
The statement also argued that offensive military exercises conducted by hostile countries on and around the Korean Peninsula would never achieve their intended result.
Maria Nica / Editor
