President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to sharply scale back major U.S. military exercises with South Korea, citing costs and his view that North Korea has been “unthreatening and respectful” during his presidency.
In a Truth Social post Sunday, Trump said he had directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!” He added that the drills could not be canceled outright because “it is too late to cancel.”
Drills Were Set to Begin Monday
The exercises at issue are the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, which CNN reported were scheduled to begin Monday and run for 10 days.
The Hill reported that the exercises are conducted annually on a large scale in the spring and summer to strengthen the U.S.-South Korea alliance and prepare for regional threats.
Trump argued the drills are both expensive and diplomatically counterproductive.
“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, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful,” Trump wrote.
Trump Points to South Korea’s Iran Response
Trump also linked the decision to a separate exchange with South Korea over Iran.
“While somewhat unrelated (?), 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!’” Trump wrote.
The source material did not provide additional details about that request or South Korea’s position beyond Trump’s account.
A Familiar Flashpoint From Trump’s First Term
Trump previously floated suspending the U.S.-South Korea drills in 2018 after meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, according to The Hill. At the time, he described a pause as a way to avoid a major expense.
Trump met Kim three times during his first term, including meetings in Singapore and Hanoi. Newsweek reported that the two have not met since Trump returned to office.
Analysts told Newsweek that Kim’s growing ties with Moscow and Beijing have given him more leverage internationally.
Over the weekend, Trump posted a photo of himself with Kim and defended their relationship.
“Despite the unfriendly look on this particular picture, there are many where we’re smiling, Kim Jong Un and I get along GREAT!” Trump wrote.
