Trump's Overture to Kim Jong-un Strains Alliance With South Korea

The South Korean and United States militaries view their annual drills in South Korea as more critical than ever. The stakes have risen dramatically as North Korea has gained battlefield expertise with drones and modern warfare by deploying troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine.

The summer exercise had barely begun on Monday when President Trump denounced it, dealing yet another blow to the seven-decade-old alliance between Washington and Seoul. Under Mr. Trump, bilateral relations have already come under immense strain from ​his punishing tariffs on South Korean exports.​ And his transactional diplomacy has frustrated South Korea, most recently when he appeared to put Saudi Arabia on the path to enriching nuclear fuel on its own soil, a demand Seoul has made for years.