Ex-Vice President Harris ‘disappointed’ in Trump’s decision to scale back joint drills as Korea-U.S. ties fray

Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea as she contended that the United States has lost influence among its allies amid a growing rift in the Seoul-Washington alliance.

"I was very — 'disappointed' would be an understatement — to see when the current president changed the strength of our shared exercises," Harris said during a special lecture at the Seoul-based think tank Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

South Korea and the United States agreed in August to halve the duration of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise at Washington’s request.

Trump had ordered the Pentagon to reduce the drills, citing his good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The South Korean government said neither Seoul nor Washington had advance knowledge of the decision.

Harris, who served as vice president under Joe Biden from 2021 to 2025 and lost the 2024 presidential election to Trump, also criticized his trade policy and his outreach to North Korea.

"We have seen what the current president has done in terms of erratic tariffs and the punitive nature of those to what has happened in terms of the embrace of North Korea," she said. "These are all statements that are contrary to the strength of the alliance."

The United States imposed a 25 percent tariff on South Korean goods in August last year. It later lowered the rate to 15 percent after Seoul pledged to invest $350 billion in the United States.

Her visit came as signs of strain between the two allies have grown.

Washington has partly restricted the sharing of satellite intelligence on North Korea with Seoul. The move followed remarks by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young in March, when he said North Korea was suspected of operating a uranium enrichment site in its Kusong region. Washington considered the comments an unauthorized disclosure of U.S. intelligence, a claim the minister denied.

Kang Kyung-wha, South Korea’s ambassador to the United States, recently told lawmakers that communication with the White House has been limited.

Harris said even a change of president in 2028 would not be enough to repair the damage.

“I’m clear-eyed enough to know that even when that election happens, it will not be enough to restore confidence and trust in the nature of the relationship that we have enjoyed for decades,” she said, adding that a future U.S. leader's words "will fall on skeptical ears.”

“I’m fully aware that America has lost a certain level of influence and is perceived to be a less reliable partner than before,” Harris said.

Still, she said the leadership role of the United States “may have been frayed but has not been destroyed.”

She described current U.S. foreign policy as “raw transactionalism” driven by short-term financial gain.

“America must be strategic in the use of our economic power, not reckless or spiteful,” she said.

Harris also praised Korea’s shipbuilding industry, saying she met its leaders on Tuesday evening.

“The work that is coming out of South Korea in that regard is globally significant," she said.

Shipbuilding sits at the center of the Seoul-Washington trade deal, which includes a $150 billion "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again," or "MASGA," investment from Seoul in U.S. shipbuilding.

Pointing to Korean investment in chips and electric vehicles, Harris said, “Keep doing what you are doing," adding that trust between allies is "reciprocal; you give and you receive trust."

With the U.S. midterm elections three weeks away, Harris said she would return to the United States to campaign full time for Democratic candidates.

She said a Democratic majority would “speak more forcefully” on issues, including support for U.S. alliances, which she said has an "incredible amount of bipartisan support" in Congress.

Asked about a possible run for president in 2028, Harris said, “I am thinking about it, but I’ve not made any decision.” 

Harris visited Seoul and the demilitarized zone in September 2022 as vice president.

BY SEO JI-EUN   [[email protected]]