Trump orders Pentagon to significantly reduce joint exercises with South Korea
Trump told the Pentagon to scale back joint drills with South Korea, citing costs and Seoul’s refusal to join actions against Iran.
President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to "significantly reduce" the upcoming joint military exercises with long‑time ally South Korea, citing the cost of the drills and Seoul's refusal to participate in operations against Iran.
The announcement came hours before the exercises were due to begin and was posted on his Truth Social platform. Trump said he considered it too late to cancel the drills entirely, but added that he was "not satisfied" that the United States had agreed to take part.
In his post the president also stressed his personal ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and criticised the message the exercises send.
"These exercises are not only expensive, with much of these costs paid by the United States (as usual!), but they send a signal which is completely inappropriate and hostile, to a country which, since Donald J. Trump is president, does not represent a threat and behaves with respect," Trump wrote.
He also singled out Seoul's stance related to the conflict between the United States and Israel with Iran. "Although somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea whether he would like to join us in the denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said: 'No, thank you!' Thank you for your attention to this matter," he added.
The order directs the Pentagon to scale back the scope of the drills rather than cancel them outright. Officials have not yet provided a detailed public account of what "significantly reduce" will mean for troop numbers, exercises included, or the schedule.
Photo: press material from the event
