Twenty-two Democratic lawmakers sent a protest letter to President Donald Trump over his abrupt order to scale back joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, saying negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un cannot succeed if Washington and Seoul are not aligned. The letter came to light only later.
The 22 lawmakers, including Rep. Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Ami Bera, one of the most prominent pro-Korea voices in Congress, urged Trump on the 9th to "reverse course and confirm that military exercises with South Korea will continue as planned," after he sharply curtailed the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise. Meeks is a key Democratic figure on foreign policy who supports the strength of the alliance and oversees the party's Indo-Pacific strategy.
In the letter, the lawmakers said they were writing out of concern over the decision to unilaterally halt the exercise, which began on Aug. 17, without advance notice to South Korea. They said the decision risks straining a 73-year-old alliance and undermining readiness, security and deterrence on the Korean Peninsula.
Trump had abruptly written on Truth Social on Aug. 16 that, given his very good relationship with Kim, he was unhappy that the United States had long ago agreed to take part in joint military exercises with South Korea. Saying it was too late to cancel them outright, he said he had directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to sharply reduce the scale of the drills. As a result, the exercise, originally scheduled to run from Aug. 17 to 27, was scaled back and ended early on the 21st.
The lawmakers assessed that Trump's sudden decision ultimately handed Kim an advantage. In the letter, they said the decision appeared to stem from displeasure over South Korea's refusal to join a war with Iran and from a dangerous misunderstanding that North Korea poses no threat to the United States. Dealing with a North Korea backed by China and Russia, they said, is best done by presenting a united front with Seoul.
The lawmakers also noted that North Korea responded coldly to Trump's gesture. Pyongyang fired 10 ballistic missiles on Aug. 20, after the drills were curtailed, and Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the ruling Workers' Party, declared that she had no interest whatsoever in Trump's order to scale back the exercises.
The unilateral decision, made without prior consultation with Seoul, could also jeopardize South Korea's $350 billion investment pledge in the United States, the lawmakers said. "We are especially disappointed by the public announcement of decisions regarding the UFS exercise without any consultation with South Korea," they wrote, adding that such doubts could lead Seoul to reconsider its $350 billion investment commitment in areas including shipbuilding. They also said the move could complicate cooperation with South Korea against China and give momentum to advocates of an independent nuclear arsenal in the country.
The lawmakers said Trump's grievances with South Korea were "misplaced," but that the potential harm to U.S. national security and economic interests was "very real." They urged him to ensure that future military exercises with South Korea are not reduced without consultation with the ally or without a clear and verifiable security rationale.
