Seoul [South Korea]/Washington DC [US], August 18 : South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung has stated that joint military drills between Washington and Seoul are defensive in nature and do not reflect any intention to attack North Korea or escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula, following US President Donald Trump's decision to scale back the annual war games.
Addressing a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the South Korean President also urged faster progress in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines after Donald Trump's order to cut joint drills, the official media Yonhap reported.
The response from Seoul, as per Yonhap, came after President Trump on Sunday (local US time) ordered the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with South Korea, calling them "costly" and sending a "hostile signal" to Pyongyang.
Lee insisted that Seoul must proceed without disruption to finalise the transfer of wartime operational control (Opcon) during his term, which will end in 2030, as the government initially planned. Currently, wartime command over South Korean forces rests with a US four-star general leading the Combined Forces Command- a setup dating back to the 1953 armistice of the Korean War.
"A strong alliance makes the foundation of security stronger, and strengthening our own capabilities increases our value and necessity as an ally," Lee stated, describing self-reliant defence and the Washington-Seoul alliance as mutually reinforcing.
Alongside the Opcon transfer, Lee called for accelerated progress on South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine program.
He instructed officials to speed up the implementation of a project to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, saying that independent defence capabilities and a strong alliance between Seoul and Washington should complement each other, the South Korean media Yonhap reported.
The push for strategic autonomy comes in the wake of Trump ordering the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" the ongoing 10-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises. Writing on social media, Trump on Sunday labelled the joint manoeuvres "costly" and "hostile" to Pyongyang, while claiming that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had personally responded to his request for talks in an exchange he characterised as "very positive."

Trump also publicly berated South Korea for refusing to contribute to US military actions against Iran.
Trump earlier today said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has always treated him with "great respect", highlighting their personal rapport and saying his approach is aimed at making the situation on the Korean Peninsula safer.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he had met Kim on multiple occasions and that the two leaders understood each other. Trump contrasted his relationship with Kim with the North Korean leader's reported views of previous US presidents.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday (US local time), Trump said he was "not happy" that the United States had previously agreed to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea.
"Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea," Trump said.
The Us President described the exercises as costly and said they send a signal that is "totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he claimed has been "unthreatening and respectful" during his presidency. He said it was too late to cancel the exercises altogether but instructed Hegseth to substantially reduce them.
"Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!" Trump said.