U.S. President Donald Trump on August 17 ordered the Pentagon to reduce the scale of joint military exercises with ally South Korea, citing his "very good" relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
On Truth Social, Trump wrote that the drills, scheduled to begin August 18, are costly and "send a completely inappropriate and hostile signal" toward North Korea, which he described as "not threatening and respectful" during his tenure at the White House.
"Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, I am not pleased with the long-standing U.S. agreement to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea," Trump stated.
The U.S. leader also referenced Seoul's position on the U.S.-Israel military campaign in Iran. He said he asked the South Korean president whether the country would like to participate in the denuclearization of Iran, and received the response: "No, thank you!"
Trump acknowledged it was too late to cancel the exercises but instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "significantly reduce" their scale.
Asked about Trump's statement, South Korea's Defense Ministry said the military drills would "proceed as previously announced and scheduled."
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, set to run for 11 days from August 17 to 27, involves 18,000 South Korean troops. It is a regular summer activity of South Korean and U.S. forces aimed at preparing for defense against North Korea — a nuclear-armed state with extensive combat experience from its involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
Pyongyang has long been angered by these exercises, calling them rehearsals for an invasion. Last week, North Korea condemned the upcoming drills as provocative acts escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on August 15 that U.S.-Japan-South Korea military cooperation is turning into a nuclear alliance, and that Pyongyang would respond to new threats with new deterrence. A day later, Trump posted a photo with Kim and wrote that the two leaders have a very good relationship, "despite the grumpy look in this particular photo."
During his first term, Trump met Kim three times. This is not the first time the U.S. president has sought to end exercises with South Korea. After the historic 2018 summit in Singapore with Kim, he called the military drills "costly" and "provocative."
