Trump scales back military operations with South Korea

US President Donald Trump said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

has always treated him with great respect,

a day after he ordered the Pentagon to scale back annual joint military exercises

with South Korea.

Scaling-back military exercises between the United States and South Korea

also signalled Trump's displeasure with the south

after it declined to help the US with the war against Iran.

US President Donald Trump said

"When I called recently the president of South Korea, who I like,

I think he's very nice, actually. But I called him, I said,

'Would you like to give us a little hand? We don't need help with Iran.

But if you'd like, give us a hand with Iran.'

He said, no, thanks. And I said, wait a minute,

we have 39,000 soldiers over there guarding you from Kim Jong Un,

your next-door neighbour, and you're not going to help us

on a very easy military operation in Iran? That's strange.

'No, no. We'd rather not get involved.' I said,

'well, why are we involved in helping you?'

So, and I want to help them."

Trump's announcement baffled many in South Korea

which has been closely allied with the US for decades

and where national security is a top priority due to threats

from nuclear-armed North Korea.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during a

cabinet meeting said.

"A robust South Korea-US alliance and the strengthening

of our own independent defence capabilities are mutually

necessary and sufficient conditions for one another.

In other words, a solid alliance strengthens the foundation

of our security, while building up our own strength in turn

increases our value and necessity as an ally."

Cha Du Jyeogn, an analyst at Seoul based Asan Institute

for Policy Studies said South Korea has always been deliberately

staying a step behind other key US allies when it came to showing

support for the US agendas.

"If it's difficult to make substantive concessions or contributions

then at the very least, on a symbolic level, South Korea needs

to show that it supports and shares in the US agenda."