US-South Korea military drills halted midway, what’s the reason behind it?

A few days ago, US President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to significantly scale back the drills. Calling the drills inappropriate and hostile towards North Korea, he said they were also costly for the US. Trump's announcement also surprised his allies.

The US's annual military drills with South Korea are ending abruptly on Friday.

Soon after, the 'Wulchi Freedom Shield' exercise, which involves 18,000 South Korean troops and the US and 11 other allied countries, is being halted midway.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has tried to portray the decision as a result of mutual understanding. However, he also admitted that South Korean officials were not aware of Trump's decision to scale back the drills in advance.

South Korea sees the annual military drills with the United States as an important part of the two countries’ alliance and a demonstration of the United States’ commitment to defending South Korea against Pyongyang.

While South Korea has agreed to scale back or suspend drills in the past to bring North Korea to peace talks, Trump’s unilateral and abrupt decision to withdraw U.S. troops early has shaken South Korea’s trust in the United States as an ally, said Jo Bi-yoon, a senior research fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Now there are fears that Trump may go further, reducing the number of 27,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea. The United States may even abandon its long-standing policy of denuclearizing North Korea without consulting its ally.

The move could also raise concerns in countries like Taiwan and Japan, which have long relied on U.S. security guarantees in the region.

Trump has also previously criticized South Korea for refusing to participate in military action against Iran. He said he could meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.

South Korea has long welcomed Trump's diplomatic outreach to Kim. But they did not want it to be met with demands for money and military aid to Iran in return.

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In the view of researcher Jo Bi-yoon, South Korea has little opportunity to defend itself against North Korea. As a result, its alliance with the United States is now a matter of life and death.

BBC Bangla reports.