Trump said he's halting the "war games" with South Korea and says he wants to bring U. S. soldiers in the region back home "at some point"
After wrapping up a historic meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, President Trump told reporters on Tuesday he is halting the “war games” consisting of joint military exercises with South Korea. He also said he wants to bring American soldiers in the Korean Peninsula back home “at some point.”
“We have right now 32,000 soldiers in South Korea. And I’d like to be able to bring them back home. But that’s not part of the equation right now,” Mr. Trump said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, an Air Force veteran, balked at the idea of U. S. soldiers leaving the region.
“I don’t mind putting these exercises on hold. Over the arc of time, the exercises won’t matter. But the one thing I would object to violently is withdrawing our forces from South Korea,” Graham said Tuesday on “CBS This Morning.” “China is trying to play President Trump through North Korea. China’s goal for decades has been to drive us out of Asia. If we withdraw our forces and that’s part of the deal, I can’t support the deal. That will lead to more conflict, not less. Our forces in South Korea are stabilizing for Asia.”
CBS News senior global affairs contributor and Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer also stressed China’s role in the region, calling China “the big winner” in the historic summit.
