US President Trump has ordered the Pentagon to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea shortly before they began.
US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, citing their cost, his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Seoul’s response to a US request concerning Iran.
Trump announced the decision on Truth Social shortly before the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise was due to begin.
He argued that the drills appeared hostile toward North Korea and said it was too late to cancel them entirely.
“Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea,” stated Trump.
He also claimed that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung had rejected a request to support US efforts to denuclearize Iran.
Exercises Begin Amid Tensions
Neither the Pentagon nor the White House has specified which parts of the exercise will be reduced, and South Korea confirmed that Ulchi Freedom Shield began as scheduled, according to Reuters.
Around 18,000 South Korean personnel are expected to participate before the exercise concludes on August 27.
The drills began shortly after North Korea conducted two ballistic missile launches in August, including a short-range missile test.
In June, Kim ordered the country to accelerate its military buildup and accused Washington and Seoul of increasing tensions through their modernization plans, including South Korea’s pursuit of a nuclear-powered submarine.
A screen monitor shows North Korean leader Kim Jong- un. Photo: Ryoichiro Kida / AFPShifting Ties
Beyond the joint training, Washington maintains approximately 28,500 troops in South Korea, according to Reuters.
Trump has repeatedly questioned the cost of their deployment and called on Seoul to contribute more.
His objections to the exercises are not new. During his first term, Trump reduced some drills while pursuing negotiations with Pyongyang.
He met Kim three times, but the talks failed to curb the country’s development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
Pyongyang remains subject to international sanctions over its nuclear program.
The two Koreas are also technically still at war because their conflict in the 1950s ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
