Trump Orders Major Cut to US-South Korea Drills, Citing “Very Good Relationship” with Kim

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, pointing to his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and describing Pyongyang as “unthreatening and respectful.”

In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump said he was “not happy” that Washington had agreed to participate in the annual military exercises, which were scheduled to begin Monday.

“These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America [as usual!], but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile,” Trump wrote.

He said it was too late to cancel the drills completely and therefore instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” their scale.

The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises were scheduled to continue through August 27, involving approximately 18,000 South Korean and 5,000 US troops.

Trump also criticized Seoul over its decision not to participate in Washington’s campaign against Iran.

“I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, ‘No thanks!’” he wrote.

Trump pursued closer engagement with North Korea during his first presidency, holding three meetings with Kim and reducing some joint military exercises with South Korea. In 2019, he became the first sitting US president to enter North Korea when he met Kim at the Demilitarized Zone.

That diplomatic momentum later collapsed, however, and tensions once again increased. Under former President Joe Biden, Washington strengthened military cooperation with South Korea and Japan while expanding joint exercises and deployments of strategic weapons in the region.

North Korea has consistently condemned the US-South Korean drills as preparations for an invasion and has cited the exercises as justification for expanding its nuclear capabilities as a means of deterring potential US military action.

Ahead of the latest Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, Pyongyang on Friday denounced the drills as a “new level of threat” and warned that it would respond with a “new level of deterrent.”

Russia has also expressed support for North Korea’s security concerns. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last month that Moscow no longer supports calls for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, arguing that intensified US-led military activity has left Pyongyang with little perceived alternative to nuclear weapons as a means of protecting its sovereignty.