South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called for stronger independent defence capabilities while stressing that the country’s annual civil-defence exercises conducted alongside joint military drills with the United States are defensive in nature and not intended to threaten North Korea.
His remarks came after US President Donald Trump instructed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea and said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had responded to his recent outreach.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Lee said Seoul should continue preparations for the planned transfer of wartime operational control from the United States during his administration, in line with the existing government plan.
He described the US-South Korea alliance and South Korea’s own defence capabilities as mutually reinforcing, arguing that strengthening the country’s military capacity would also make it a more valuable and reliable ally.
“A strong alliance makes the foundation of security stronger, and strengthening our own capabilities increases our value and necessity as an ally,” Lee said.
Lee also called for faster progress on South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarine programme and urged the development of military officers capable of conducting integrated operations as the boundaries between different types of battlefields become increasingly blurred.
At a National Security Council meeting, Lee defended the civil-defence exercises held alongside major US-South Korea military drills, saying they were designed to protect the lives and safety of South Korean citizens.
According to a statement from the presidential Blue House, Lee stressed that Seoul had no intention of using the exercises to attack North Korea or escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
He said the exercises were intended to safeguard citizens and maintain their daily lives rather than target any particular country or group as an enemy.
The comments come as uncertainty surrounds the scale of future US-South Korea military exercises following Trump’s latest directive, while Seoul continues to balance its alliance with Washington with efforts to strengthen its own defence capabilities.
