According to Yonhap News Agency, Seoul, on August 19th, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Sang-hyun stated that the South Korean government was completely unaware of the matter until US President Trump issued a directive through social media instructing the US Department of Defense to reduce the scale of the South-Korean-US joint military exercises.
Zhao Xian said during a full meeting of the Congressional Foreign Affairs Committee that neither the South Korean government nor any relevant officials in the US government were aware of the content posted by Trump on social media platform ‘RealSocial’. Therefore, the South Korean side did not receive any prior notifications regarding this matter.
Regarding the decision to reduce the scale of the South Korean-US joint military exercises, Zhao Xian said that, as far as he knows, after Trump posted an announcement on social media, Secretary of Defense Arquette held close consultations with the US side. Since the South Korean Defense Minister was involved in the coordination, he believes this is not a unilateral decision by the United States. Regarding the possible impact this move could have on the South Korean side in terms of re-taking wartime command authority, he stated that at the request of the US side, the scale of the South Korean-US joint exercises has been reduced. Therefore, the US side will not use this as a reason to delay the transfer of wartime command authority.
Regarding the US efforts to facilitate a North Korean-US summit this fall, Zhao Xian stated that this means the situation is about to undergo a new turn. The government should seize this opportunity and continue to communicate with the US. Regarding concerns that the US may bypass South Korea to advance dialogue with North Korea, Zhao Xian said that the government has promptly consulted relevant US agencies to ensure the stability of the South-US alliance.
