ED Catalyst for dialogue
End to joint exercises should help North denuclearize
A decision by Seoul and Washington to stop large-scale joint military exercises in the spring reflects the two allies' willingness to keep the door open for denuclearization talks with Pyongyang. The move came three days after U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un failed to strike a deal at their second summit in Hanoi, Thursday.
Instead, South Korea and the United States have agreed to hold a much smaller drill to replace the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises. On Monday, the two sides launched a new weeklong command post exercise, called Dong Maeng, which means “alliance” in English, with troops from South Korea as well as the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and the Indo-Pacific Command participating.
Some critics, especially conservatives, are expressing concerns that the scaled-down training may weaken joint South Korea-U.S. military readiness. These concerns could hold water, given that the collapse of the Hanoi summit may derail or at least postpone the North's denuclearization process. But South Koreans should not worry about the decision too much as the allies are taking the necessary steps to prepare for a worst-case scenario.
It would be better to take the reorganization of the joint exercises as part of measures to encourage diplomatic efforts with Pyongyang to solve the nuclear issue peacefully. It is important to keep the momentum for the denuclearization talks despite no deal between Trump and Kim in Vietnam last week.
Right after the first summit in Singapore last June, Trump announced the suspension of the summertime Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise. His move was no doubt aimed at appeasing North Korea which has viewed South Korea-U.S. drills as rehearsals for invasion. It came after Trump and Kim agreed on vague terms for the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
But this time after the failed second summit, the defense ministers of both allies announced the conclusion of the large-scale joint drills. One may ask the question: Why have Seoul and Washington decided to end the drills without seeing any results from the summit?
The answer is clear. South Korea and the U.S. need to create a more favorable atmosphere for the Kim regime to come back to negotiations as soon as possible. The two allies should provide a carrot to Pyongyang by easing military tension and building trust so that the North can take the path to nuclear disarmament.
If there is one worry, it might be Trump's real intension behind halting or scaling back the war games with the South. Trump has given the impression he is interested more in reducing the cost of the joint military exercises than in giving an impetus for Pyongyang to keep its promise to give up its nuclear arsenal.
This could be a cause for concern for South Korea. Some experts cautiously predict the Trump administration might apply more pressure on Seoul to share a greater burden for the upkeep of the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed here. Such pressure may risk undermining not only the bilateral defense alliance but also joint efforts for the North's denuclearization.