Trump cited his “very good relationship” with Kim Jong Un while ordering the Pentagon to substantially reduce the joint drills.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises are still scheduled to run from August 17 to 27, with about 18,000 South Korean troops involved.
Trump also linked the issue to South Korea's refusal to join US efforts on the denuclearisation of Iran, while North Korea continues to oppose the drills.
Trump Scales Back US-South Korea Drills, Says Relationship With North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Is ‘Very Good’
Donald Trump has ordered a substantial reduction in US-South Korea military drills, citing his relationship with Kim Jong Un and the exercises' cost and alleged hostile signal to North Korea
Summary
US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and arguing that the drills send an inappropriate and hostile signal to Pyongyang.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said that the exercises, which were to start on Monday, are costly and “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea. He said further that Kim has been “has been unthreatening and respectful” while Trump has been in the White House.
Why Did Trump Order Cut In Military Drills?
Trump said that the Joint Military exercises were expensive, with much of its costs being borne by the US. He further said that the exercises were too late to be cancelled, and hence directed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce the Joint Military exercises.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
According to South Korea’s Ministry of Defence, as per Al Jazeera, the military exercises would “proceed as previously notified and scheduled”.
Trump Brings South Korea’s Iran Stance Into Dispute
Trump said he had recently asked South Korea's president whether Seoul wanted to join the US in the denuclearisation of Iran, and claimed South Korea responded, “No thanks!”
North Korea has always denounced these exercises, and said they were rehearsals for an invasion, and are a provocation that heightens tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, scheduled to take place over 11 days from August 17 to 27, will involve 18,000 South Korean troops. The drills are a regular part of the South Korean military’s summer schedule with its US allies and are intended to prepare for the defence of South Korea against nuclear-armed North Korea, whose forces have gained battlefield experience through involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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These developments come as North Korea had launched a suspected ballistic missile on August 12 ahead of US-South Korea’s drills. Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday proposed talks with North Korea to formally end the Korean War and discuss ways to halt the advancement of Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities.
According to CNN, Kim has argued that the US war with Iran demonstrates that North Korea was justified in retaining its nuclear weapons. In a speech to North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly published in March, Kim accused Washington of engaging in “acts of state-sponsored terrorism and aggression”, though he did not specifically name Iran.
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