"Trump Venting Frustration on Allies... South Korea Became a Scapegoat"

[Anchor]

The prevailing assessment is that U.S. President Donald Trump's specific mention of scaling back South Korea-U.S. joint military drills is a strategy to divert public discontent over the prolonged Iran war. U.S. media analyze that South Korea is becoming a prime scapegoat.

Reporting from Washington, this is correspondent Jeon Byeong-nam.

[Reporter]

Reports emerged that U.S. President Donald Trump is venting his frustration on allies as he fails to find a solution to the prolonged war with Iran, and in the process, South Korea "has become a scapegoat."

Axios analyzed that Trump's anger is growing toward allies that have not participated in the Iran war, and South Korea, which had been evaluated as an "exemplary ally," became the most surprising scapegoat.

It criticized Trump for using security relations built over decades as a tool for personal and political retaliation.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President (local time, 17th) : We cannot go around protecting all these countries, especially when they have no intention of helping us.]

Pointers were also raised that Trump's remarks regarding South Korea are factually incorrect.

CNN explained, "As a result of checking the facts regarding the current status of U.S. Forces Korea troops and defense cost-sharing mentioned by Trump, all of Trump's claims regarding South Korea are wrong."

In the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, which oversees South Korea-U.S. relations, the ruling and opposition leadership presented contrasting positions.

Meanwhile, political media outlet Politico, citing an anonymous official, reported that "delays in South Korea's investment in the United States played a role in Trump's order to scale back South Korea-U.S. joint exercises."

U.S. Commerce Secretary Lutnick, who previously met with Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-gwan, was also reported to have demanded prompt implementation of investments, which is interpreted to mean that Trump is utilizing South Korea's security situation as leverage to pressure investments in the U.S.

U.S. media evaluated that the alliance network, which has amplified American power for generations, is gradually weakening through Trump's second term.

(Camera: Eunha Park | Video Editing: Sunghoon Jeong | Design: Nami Kim)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.