President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to reduce the scope of upcoming joint military exercises with South Korea, citing the significant financial burden on the United States and the potential for the drills to be perceived as hostile by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump announced his directive on social media, stating that while the exercises could not be entirely canceled at this late stage, he was displeased with the long-standing military arrangement. He wrote on Truth Social that the operations are "costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!)," and that they send a "signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he characterized as having been "unthreatening and respectful" during his presidency.
Trump also linked his decision to South Korea's refusal to join U.S. efforts for the denuclearization of Iran. He noted he had asked the President of South Korea if they would participate in the denuclearization of Iran, and they responded negatively.
The directive comes just ahead of the Ulchi Freedom Shield, an 11-day annual joint military exercise scheduled to begin. These maneuvers are designed to bolster defense readiness on the Korean Peninsula, where approximately 28,500 U.S. service members are stationed as part of U.S. Forces Korea. This year's exercise was slated to involve about 18,000 South Korean troops.
North Korea has consistently opposed these joint drills, with its Foreign Ministry previously describing the exercises as a "rehearsal for an aggressive war." The scaling back of operations also follows a recent increase in North Korean weapons testing, including two ballistic missile launches within a six-day period in August. Following the most recent launch on August 12, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command stated it was in close consultation with regional allies and assessed that the launch did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or allies.
This is not the first time Trump has sought to reduce joint exercises with South Korea. During his first term, after his initial summit with Kim Jong Un, he referred to the "war games" as "provocative" and expensive.
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