United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump has ordered the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to reduce the military exercises with longtime ally South Korea after North Korea threatened stronger nuclear deterrence.
The 80-year-old Republican leader cited his “good relations” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s refusal to join the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
Just hours before the scheduled war games, Trump took to his own Truth Social platform and stated that he wasn’t happy that the U.S. decided to hold military drills with South Korea, adding that the exercises were “not only costly but also totally inappropriate and hostile towards North Korea.”
He described North Korea to be “unthreatening and respectful” toward the U.S. since Trump has been in power.
Trump added that the Pentagon has been ordered to “substantially reduce” the exercises. According to the U.S. president, another reason behind scaling back the drills was S. Korea’s refusal to join the U.S. military campaign against Iran to “denuclearise the Islamic Republic.”
The joint military exercises known as Ulchi Freedom Shield will include 18,000 South Korean military personnel and are scheduled to run until August 27, 2026.
South Korea reacted to Trump’s statement hoping that cordial relations between the Washington and Pyongyang will lead to a meaningful dialogue.
Earlier, North Korea denounced the joint drills and threatened to respond with a new level of deterrent.
2026-08-17 18:29:00
