U.S. Democrats have criticized the scaling back of military exercises with South Korea

Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. criticized President Donald Trump following his decision to significantly scale back joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises. They said the move could weaken the alliance between Seoul and Washington, according to the Korea Herald.

Democrats in the Senate said in a post on X that Trump had canceled the military exercises and undermined the alliance with South Korea. They also claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made no concessions and continues to supply weapons to Russia, an aggressor state, for use in the war against Ukraine.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, citing a report in The New York Times, stated that the North Korean leader’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, rejected Trump’s attempt to reach out to Pyongyang, saying it was of no interest to North Korea. Schumer called this yet another instance of Trump putting the U.S. in an awkward position on the international stage.

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Senator Chris Van Hollen accused Trump of cozying up to dictators and stated that the president received nothing in return from Kim Jong Un. Senator Tammy Duckworth emphasized the importance of joint military exercises for maintaining the readiness of U.S. forces and the security of allies.

Earlier, Trump announced on social media that he had ordered the Pentagon to significantly scale back U.S.-South Korean exercises, citing his good relations with Kim Jong-un. Separately, he expressed dissatisfaction that Seoul, in his words, had refused to help the U.S. in a war against Iran. According to the Korea Herald, Trump also aims to resume summits with the North Korean leader this year. Pyongyang has long referred to such exercises as rehearsals for war.