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Experts: US-South Korea Pare Military Exercises as North Korea Remains Threat

Christy Lee

   WASHINGTON - Dialing back annual joint summer U.S.-South Korea military
   drills runs counter to North Korea's continued missile launches and
   lack of denuclearization, said experts pointing to the computer
   simulation training unaccompanied by field combat exercises that is
   underway.

   "If there were no North Korean threat, maybe I wouldn't be as
   concerned," said Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand
   Corp.

   "But North Korea keeps building its nuclear capabilities so they're
   increasing their threat. They're testing more missiles, which is
   increasing their threat. Scaling back the U.S. and South Korean
   preparations to deal with that threat doesn't make a lot of sense,"
   Bennett continued.

   [1]North Korea fired two more missiles Tuesday, the fourth test in less
   than two weeks. This came just as the U.S. and South Korea began their
   annual joint military exercises that Seoul confirmed began Monday.

   The U.S. has about 28,000 soldiers stationed in South Korea, and every
   year, U.S. and South Korean military forces conduct joint drills as
   they prepare to defend against potential attacks from North Korea.
   President Donald Trump said Wednesday via Twitter that South Korea
   "[2]agreed to pay substantially more money to the U.S. in order to
   defend itself from North Korea" as its share of defense cost.

References

   1. https://www.apnews.com/fe22f1eeefa04514910ab180ea1e0b9a
   2. https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/trump-says-south-korea-pay-substantially-more-us-troops

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