Trump scales back joint drills with South Korea
Shortly before joint US-South Korea military exercises are due to begin, US President Donald Trump has ordered them to be scaled back, citing both the costs and his relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. He said their relationship was now "very good". The media examine the implications of Washington's U-turn.
Making North Korea all the more dangerous
Trump is overestimating the positive impact of his overtures towards Kim, Rzeczpospolita criticises:
“In his negotiations with Pyongyang, Trump's main objectives are to reduce the immediate nuclear threat, bring North Korea's production of fissile material to a halt, stop nuclear tests and curb the intercontinental ballistic missile programme. Will this be possible? Hardly anyone believes it is. ... The opposite may even be true: improved relations with the US would strengthen Kim's regime and lead to Pyongyang's policy in Asia becoming even more aggressive.”
A shambles in foreign policy
Like Europe, South Korea must now also seek new alliances, Süddeutsche Zeitung concludes:
“The signal that Trump has now sent will mean that Seoul must look for new allies as quickly as possible. These could be as close as Japan or as far away as Germany or Canada. In this way, Washington is undermining a partnership that has been a guarantee of peace and prosperity for almost 80 years – not only throughout the Western world, but above all in the US. Whoever comes to power after Trump will no longer be able to pick up all the pieces.”