President Donald Trump’s decision to curtail the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises exposes a foundational pathology within the U.S.-South Korea alliance. For decades, Washington has tolerated a dangerous asymmetry: Seoul expects the protection of 28,500 American troops, continuous joint training, and billions in U.S. taxpayer subsidies, yet blinks at broader global threats.

When Washington requested South Korean support against Iranian aggression, Seoul demurred, choosing diplomatic fence-sitting over alliance solidarity. This strategic myopia is unsustainable, particularly now that Trump has declared U.S. sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz following the campaign against the mullahs’ regime.

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South Korea’s strategic free-riding ignores a brutal geographic reality: 70 percent of its crude oil imports transit the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint it refuses to help defend. America’s current naval blockade already restricts unapproved passage, but formalizing its........

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