Trump's remarks expose strains in South Korea-U.S. alliance

: Trump's complaints over South Korea's level of support highlight why Seoul must rebuild trust with Washington to safeguard its security interests.

A series of remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump has laid bare the troubling state of the South Korea-U.S. alliance. After recently ordering a reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea with an eye toward talks with North Korea, Trump publicly disclosed details of a phone call with President Lee Jae Myung over South Korean support related to the Strait of Hormuz. Trump reportedly complained, "The United States protects [South] Korea with U.S. Forces Korea, but [South] Korea does not support the United States."

Washington's tendency to view alliances in terms of costs and transactions rather than shared values and security interests is concerning. But South Korea must also ask whether its own approach contributed to the U.S. president airing such grievances so openly.

Politico recently described Seoul as the "slowest negotiator," attributing Trump's decision to scale back combined exercises partly to dissatisfaction with the pace of South Korea's investment commitments in the United States. Whether that reporting is entirely accurate is unclear, but it likely reflects a current of sentiment in Washington.

If frustration over delayed investment commitments led to an order reducing military exercises, that decision is clearly misguided. Yet the South Korean government would also be wrong to quietly welcome reduced exercises in hopes that they could advance inter-Korean relations. The concern is that Seoul and Washington, for different reasons, are applauding the same development even though it could inevitably undermine security on the Korean Peninsula.

Yesterday, President Lee again called for accelerating the transfer of wartime operational control (Opcon) and the nuclear-powered submarine program. But he offered no explanation for why the submarine project has made little progress or how the obstacles will be overcome.

Seoul must not allow Washington to perceive it as an ally that only receives help. Demonstrating South Korea's contribution will strengthen Seoul's position on security issues requiring essential U.S. cooperation, including the Opcon transfer and acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines. Washington agreed last year to support South Korea's effort to build nuclear-powered submarines, making continued bilateral cooperation indispensable.

Even if the Lee administration succeeds in bringing about the U.S.-North Korea dialogue it seeks, continued distrust between Seoul and Washington could leave South Korea with no room to maneuver, resulting instead in direct dealings between Washington and Pyongyang.

Trust in a strong South Korea-U.S. alliance is also essential if Seoul hopes to serve as the "pacemaker" for peace on the Korean Peninsula, as the government has pledged.

An alliance is not a one-sided favor but a reciprocal relationship. South Korea should therefore take a more active role in fulfilling its responsibilities, from investment and trade commitments to support for navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Rebuilding trust must come first.

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