US Republican Lawmaker Questions Trump's Reduction of South Korea-US Joint Exercises, Urges Restoration

US Representative Rich McCormick, a Republican, has questioned President Donald Trump's decision to scale back joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, urging their restoration.

Appearing on the weekend current affairs TV program Bloomberg This Week on the 22nd local time, Representative McCormick, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, stated, "I hope this measure is temporary."

Regarding South Korea, McCormick emphasized, "We need to ensure that they maintain a closer relationship with us," adding that relations between South Korea and "other countries that basically want to practice communism" should not be allowed to become closer than its relationship with the US.

A former military physician, McCormick mentioned that he has spent time with the South Korean military during his overseas service, emphasizing that integration with foreign allies is "very good for our power projection."

Representing a district in Georgia, he said of South Korea, "They view the world similarly to [the US]. They pursue a single enemy, a single fight."

While noting that "(President Trump) has far more information than I do," McCormick raised questions, saying, "I'm not exactly sure what factors went into [the decision to scale back military exercises]."

Previously, President Trump posted on social media on the 16th, stating, "Considering that Chairman Kim Jong Un and I have a very good relationship, I don't like the fact that the US has long agreed to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea," and instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to significantly reduce the scale of the joint exercises.

In response, the South Korean and US military authorities shortened the originally planned 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise period to five days and reduced its scale.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.