Former President Donald Trump stated he was "not happy" with the joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises and instructed his "Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth" to substantially reduce them, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
In a social media post, Trump noted that the exercises were agreed upon long ago and it was too late to cancel them entirely. He also questioned South Korea's willingness to cooperate on denuclearizing Iran, stating that Seoul had declined his request to join such efforts.
Trump met with Kim Jong Un three times during his presidency and previously advocated for discontinuing the joint military drills, which have been a point of contention for Pyongyang. The U.S. had already canceled a planned joint amphibious landing drill for September.
North Korea has historically maintained close ties with Iran. The extent of Pyongyang's support for Tehran, particularly during its conflict with the U.S., remains unclear.
