Drills cut by Trump are central to the US-South Korea alliance

Donald Trump has decided to scale back military drills with South Korea, citing the high cost of exercises and his very good relationship with Kim Jong Un. While Trump views this as a strategic signal, many experts argue that these cuts threaten combined U.S.-South Korean readiness. There are concerns that reducing these central components of the security partnership could eventually weaken the decades-long alliance between the United States and South Korea during this period of transition.