President of United Stated (US) Donald Trump has ordered a substantial reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea on Sunday, pointing to the latter’s refusal to join the Iran war.
The decision comes despite warnings from US and South Korean military personnel that North Korea is gaining battlefield tactics and operational experience from the conflict in Ukraine.
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises start on Monday and run through August 27. The planned drills involve 18,000 South Korean military personnel, combined with US forces and representatives from 11 of the 18 member states of the United Nations Command.
Trump voiced his objection to the scope of the operations on Truth Social. “Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea,” Trump wrote.
“These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful,” Trump added.
Trump stated that complete cancellation was impossible due to the timeline, prompting direct instructions to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!” Trump posted.
Trump also referenced recent discussions with South Korean leadership on Middle Eastern diplomacy. “While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, ‘No thanks!’” Trump wrote.
Trump posted an archived photograph featuring himself alongside Kim Jong Un on Saturday, reiterating claims about their rapport.
During his first presidential tenure, Trump suspended and modified major military exercises following the 2018 Singapore summit with Kim Jong Un, which led to the cancellation of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills.
Cheong Seong-chang, vice president at the Sejong Institute, said that Trump could decide to suspend the exercises completely or reduce US troop presence without consulting Seoul if a future summit takes place.
Cheong noted that while the alliance remains important, South Korea should reduce security reliance on Washington and move toward securing a nuclear deterrent capability.
Military officials stated last week that the current drills incorporate countermeasures against North Korean drone tactics and operational lessons drawn from the conflict in Ukraine.
