Reducing War Games in Korea: A Step in the Right Direction
On Saturday, August 15th, which Koreans celebrate as the end of the Japanese colonial period, President Lee Jaemyung of the Republic of Korea (or the ROK, aka South Korea) made a speech including a call for a peace agreement to formally end the Korean war and to begin a new era of peaceful coexistence between the ROK and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (or DPRK, aka North Korea).
The following day, US President Donald Trump made an announcement that he had ordered the Department of War to reduce the joint military exercises (between the US and ROK militaries) on the Korean Peninsula, which he described as “costly,” “inappropriate and hostile.” He implied that his reasons for scaling back were related to the South Korean government’s unwillingness to participate in his war in Iran.
Many Americans have since jumped in to criticize the President’s decision as another example of this administration abandoning US alliances. As an American humanitarian worker and peace advocate who has spent time in both Koreas, has lived in the ROK for 7 years, and hears the jets flying overhead as part of the war games as I type, I have watched these developments with interest. I agree the USA shouldn’t abandon our allies, but I would like to share some context to nuance this discussion.
While I am suspicious of Trump’s motivations, I agree with what Trump said about US military exercises being threatening. Military exercises are not neutral actions in the least. If the DPRK’s nuclear program is threatening, I must admit that the US bringing nuclear weapons to Korea from 1958-1991 (against the rules established in the armistice) was threatening. If the DPRK’s missile tests are threatening, the US-ROK’s 274 days of war games last year (including one exercise where the coordinates went awry and bombed a South Korean town) and drills that simulate operations targeting DPRK leadership are at least as threatening, if not even more dangerous and provocative than the DPRK’s 11 missile tests this year into the open sea.
I would also appreciate it if more Americans understood that the ROK military is an advanced and capable military (in fact, their military industrial complex is now one of the world’s biggest players in weapons production and dealing- something I do not appreciate). The Korean people in both north and south are capable and deserving of sovereignty, yet many Americans, including President Trump, seem to believe that the US is the patron-protector of South Korea, and that South Korea is incapable of bearing its own weight in defense. In actual fact, the President Lee Jaemyung of South Korea has been working hard to take back sovereignty of their own military (currently the US has war time operational control of South Korea’s military), but the US continually moves the goal posts to keep control of the ROK military – even with a clause in this year’s NDAA (US proposed military budget) that would prevent transferring operational control back to South Korea. The US is not a neutral player keeping the peace over here in South Korea. Last year, the top US Commander in Korea said that South Korea was essentially a staging ground for the US to face off with China (which is not the legal reason US troops are allowed here, as per the status of forces agreement). For a long time, the US has treated our South Korean allies like assets we possess, rather than sovereign allies or even true partners.
Despite the fact that US war games are continuing, Trump’s public statement about reducing military exercises creates a small window of opportunity. It is unlikely, but possible, that this decision could become part of a de-escalatory cycle – a series of actions and policies that move us away from hostility and provocation to build trust for eventual diplomacy leading to a peace agreement.
The current South Korean President wants to start talks with the DPRK to establish a peace agreement to end the Korean War. He is willing to acknowledge the DPRK as a separate country (the DPRK has already acknowledged the South as a separate country – locking that change into their constitution in 2024) and to seek peaceful and stable coexistence. This South Korean administration is so eager to jumpstart the peace process that their response to Trump’s announcement encouraged potential dialogue, hoping “that the friendly relationship between the U.S. and North Korean leaders will lead to meaningful dialogue between the two countries, opening discussions aimed at advancing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”
Even if this decision was vindictive toward the South, Trump’s need to look important or strong in the press might motivate him to pursue peace talks. Back in 2018, in response to good faith actions from the DPRK, Trump stopped US-ROK joint military exercises, a really positive step in the detente and dialogue. However, the DPRK will remember clearly how Trump abandoned past peace talks mid-stride. In 2019, Trump walked away from the Hanoi summit abruptly, right when a deal was ready to sign (John Bolton takes credit for that in his book).
Walking away from the deal in Hanoi shamed the DPRK government on a global stage after they had made a series of steps toward the United States (removing anti-US propaganda inside the DPRK, dismantling missile launch sites, de-mining parts of the DMZ, and returning 50 boxes of US soldier remains from the war). After the talks ended, the DPRK announced that they would not talk with the US again until the United States had changed its “hostile policies” as a good faith sign of commitment to talks. The DPRK has so far maintained that posture, even through Biden’s outreach during the pandemic, and I do not imagine they will go back on their commitment to play hardball until we make actual good faith policy changes.
I would love to see Americans create a groundswell of support to reverse some of the “hostile policies” that block any opening for dialogue with the DPRK.
HERE ARE SOME IDEAS:
We could call our members of Congress and the White House to act on any or all of the following:
Stopping expensive, ecologically-harmful, and risky ROK-US military exercises to open space for dialogue with the DPRK
Removal of sectoral sanctions that harm civilians in the DPRK
Lifting the US State Department travel ban that has for 10 years prevented US citizens traveling to DPRK (separating families, preventing people-to-people engagement and educational exchanges, etc…)
A return of operational control (opcon) to the ROK military
A unilateral end of war declaration for the Korean War from the US government- to step back and give the two Koreas the central authority in negotiating their own peace agreement/normalization of relations between their countries (the current legal structure requires the US to negotiate with the DPRK – and the ROK is essentially cut out of talks)
I support a peace agreement to end the Korean War, but I want to emphasize to my United States government the vital importance of leaving the big decisions that directly impact the Korean people to the very capable Korean people.
Read Deeper:
Initial analysis from Simone Chun, a Korean American scholar who writes frequently on Korean peninsular politics
More from me on the unended Korean War & Korea Peace Advocacy
This blog was originally posted at https://seedswillgrow.com/2026/08/19/reducing-war-games-a-step-in-the-right-direction/
Jennie Telfer is a PCI Program Director in Taebaek, South Korea. Born in the USA but raised in Europe and Africa, Jennie’s professional career has taken her around the world providing social services and advocating for populations impacted by trauma, injustice, and war. Her mission is to speak peace and joy into systems and situations of conflict to see them transformed. In solidarity with Koreans and Korean organizations, she currently provides peace education, advocates to end the Korean War, and mobilizes people for peacebuilding. Learn more about Jennie here.
