GOP lawmaker presses Trump to restore South Korea military drills
Why it matters: North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles after the allies ended the August exercise six days early.
A Republican member of Congress is urging President Donald Trump to reverse his move to cut short joint US-South Korea military exercises, arguing Washington should stand more firmly with a longtime ally. Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia told Bloomberg This Weekend on Aug. 22 that he hoped the rollback was temporary and said closer military integration with Seoul helps US force projection. Trump had ordered a reduction in the August drills, calling them an “inappropriate and hostile” signal to North Korea and pointing to his relationship with Kim Jong Un. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the allies agreed to end the exercise on Aug. 21, six days ahead of schedule. North Korea then launched a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles on Aug. 20.