President Donald Trump announced Sunday via his Truth Social platform that he has ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea. The decision, made hours before the exercises were scheduled to begin, was attributed in part to Trump's "very good relationship with Kim Jong Un," the leader of North Korea.
Trump also cited South Korea's response when asked to assist the United States in denuclearizing Iran, stating the country replied with "No thanks!" The president wrote that the joint exercises are "costly" and send an "inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea, which he described as having been "unthreatening and respectful" during his presidency.
Despite Trump's directive, the South Korean Ministry of Defense confirmed that the exercises began as planned on Monday. These drills were intended to involve 18,000 South Korean soldiers over 11 days and aimed to bolster readiness against North Korean threats. This year's exercises were designed to simulate combat scenarios against North Korean troops, incorporating lessons learned from their involvement in the war in Ukraine, according to Colonel Ryan Donald, director of public affairs for Combined Forces Command, United Nations Command and US Forces Korea.
The announcement drew sharp criticism from Democratic Senators Mark Kelly and Andy Kim. Senator Kelly, a former Navy pilot, called the move "shortsighted and a mistake," emphasizing the importance of well-trained forces capable of coordinating with South Korean allies. Senator Kim, the first Korean-American senator, expressed concern that the president's post indicated a disregard for the alliance with South Korea, stating that decisions on joint exercises should be made jointly and not unilaterally announced via social media.
The US and South Korean militaries have conducted joint exercises for over 70 years, dating back to 1955. The United States maintains its largest overseas military installation, Camp Humphreys, in South Korea. Previous reductions in military exercises occurred during Trump's first term, notably in 2018 and following the 2019 Hanoi summit, where exercises were reconfigured into smaller drills.
North Korea responded to the scheduled drills by launching short-range ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast and threatened "stern steps" against the US and South Korea, characterizing the exercises as a "rehearsal for an aggressive war."