South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has emphasized strengthening his country’s independent defense capabilities and said that joint military exercises with the United States are defensive in nature and are not conducted with the aim of threatening North Korea.
The comments came after the US president ordered the Pentagon to “significantly” reduce joint US-South Korean military exercises.
Lee said the alliance with the United States and strengthening South Korea’s independent defense capabilities are complementary, and Seoul should continue the process of transferring wartime operational control from the United States according to the existing plan.
He also called for accelerating the program to build nuclear submarines and develop military capabilities for future wars.
The South Korean president stressed that the civil defense drills, which are being held concurrently with the joint maneuvers, are to protect the lives of citizens and are not aimed at escalating tensions or attacking North Korea.
