U.S. President Donald Trump has told the Pentagon to cut back on planned military exercises with South Korea. He said this is because South Korea refused to help address Iran’s nuclear situation. Trump claimed the drills, set to start soon, are too costly and send a hostile signal to North Korea.
In a social media post, Trump wrote that North Korea had been “unthreatening and respectful” during his presidency. He instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to reduce the exercises significantly since it was too late to cancel them entirely.
The 11-day exercises were meant to boost readiness against potential threats from North Korea. They would have involved 18,000 South Korean troops practicing joint operations in complex scenarios, including live-fire exercises and wet gap crossings.
A day earlier, Trump shared a photo with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying they got along well despite the image showing an unfriendly expression. North Korea’s Foreign Ministry has criticized the U.S.-South Korea drills as preparation for war, increasing regional instability.
This isn’t the first time Trump has tried to halt these exercises. During his first term, he also called them “provocative” and said they would stop unless negotiations with North Korea went well. He made this announcement after a 2018 meeting with Kim in Singapore.