Kim Yo-jong says US support for Seoul has a price
AM730 · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a senior Workers’ Party official, used the latest US-South Korea military exercise to argue that Washington’s security backing for Seoul now comes with visible limits and costs. She said the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills suffered a serious setback after US President Donald Trump ordered their scale reduced, and portrayed South Korea as unable to object. She also attacked President Lee Jae-myung’s response as internally contradictory, saying Seoul praised Washington’s decision while also calling for stronger independent defence capabilities.
Key Points
- The Korean Central News Agency carried Kim Yo-jong’s statement on the annual US-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise and its reduced scale.
- Kim said President Donald Trump unilaterally ordered the drills scaled back, which she described as a serious blow to the exercise.
- She argued the episode showed US security support for South Korea was no longer a “free lunch” for Seoul.
- Kim said South Korea dared not complain even after US forces, in her words, changed course without consultation at the last moment.
- She accused President Lee Jae-myung of praising Trump’s decision while also urging autonomous defence planning for a “worst-case scenario.”
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the exchange is another reminder that security arrangements in Northeast Asia can quickly become political leverage rather than fixed guarantees. It also underlines how changes in US alliance management can sharpen tensions on the Korean Peninsula, a region closely watched by Asian markets and governments.