President Trump has directed the Pentagon to significantly scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his positive relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The president expressed dissatisfaction with the upcoming drills, which were scheduled to begin in August, characterizing them as costly and sending an inappropriate hostile signal to the North Korean regime, which he described as respectful during his time in office.
Trump stated that while it was too late to cancel the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises entirely, he instructed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce their scope. The annual drills, set to run for nearly two weeks and involve 18,000 South Korean soldiers, are designed as a defensive measure against potential aggression from North Korea. Trump also raised concerns about South Korea’s refusal to support his administration’s position on Iran denuclearization.
South Korea’s Ministry of Defence responded by affirming that the military exercises would continue as originally planned and scheduled. North Korea has historically opposed the drills, claiming they constitute invasion rehearsals. This marks a recurring pattern, as Trump previously sought to curtail similar exercises during his first term following his 2018 summit with Kim Jong Un in Singapore.
Originally reported by Aljazeera →
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