"Anger at Allies, South Korea as a Scapegoat"... Security Vacuum 'Domino Effect'

[Anchor]

Some analyze that the scaling back of South Korea-U.S. joint exercises is due to U.S. President Trump venting his frustration because South Korea did not assist in the war with Iran. As the war in Iran drags on, a chain reaction of security vacuums is occurring not only on the Korean Peninsula, but across East Asia and the Middle East.

For more, here is reporter Yu Deok-gi.

[Reporter]

U.S. President Trump even disclosed the details of his conversation with President Lee Jae-myung while explaining the backdrop behind the scaling back of the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President (local time on the 17th): "I said, 'Would you help us a little bit?', 'We don't necessarily need help with the Iran issue, but if you'd like, help us out,' and (President Lee) declined, saying 'I'll pass'."]

U.S. media outlets evaluated that Trump is furious at allies that have failed to assist in the war with Iran, and that South Korea is the most striking scapegoat.

Amid growing concerns over a security vacuum on the Korean Peninsula due to the drastic downsizing of the South Korea-U.S. joint drills, the USS George Washington, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier that had been conducting operations to check China in the South China Sea, is now passing through the Strait of Singapore and heading toward the waters off Iran.

This is to relieve the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea for nine months, after even witnessing attempted suicides among its soldiers.

Consequently, the Pacific region in East Asia is currently in a state of a power vacuum with no U.S. aircraft carrier present.

If the war in Iran is not brought to an end, the vacuum in U.S. carrier strike forces in East Asia will inevitably be prolonged, leaving nations such as Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines with no choice but to doubt U.S. security commitments amid China's expanding influence.

The situation in the Middle East is even more severe.

About 40,000 U.S. troops have been stationed across some 20 bases including Bahrain. However, after more than 200 U.S. military facilities were destroyed by Iranian missile and drone attacks, the U.S. military is reportedly considering redeploying forces to the western Persian Gulf altogether rather than returning them to their previous posts.

A security blow to Gulf nations that have depended on the U.S. military is unavoidable, and Saudi Arabia has signed mutual defense agreements with Turkey and Pakistan, embarking on the establishment of a collective security system without the United States.

The fruitless war in Iran is shaking the global security strategy of the United States like falling dominoes amid the distrust of its allies.

(Video editing: Park Choon-bae, Design: Park Tae-young, Kang Yoon-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.