Trump says US will scale back military drills with South Korea as annual exercises near
Trump said the United States will "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with South Korea, sharpening an announcement that could affect a central part of the allies' security cooperation. He linked the move to his "very good relationship" with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, and said the drills were costly and sent a signal that was "totally inappropriate and hostile". The comments came as the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises were due to begin on Monday.
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In his post on Sunday, Trump also said South Korea had recently declined to join the United States in the "denuclearisation" of Iran. He did not say how large the reduction would be or which exercises would be affected. Neither Seoul nor Pyongyang had commented on the announcement, and the timing suggested any change would be immediate rather than theoretical.
The planned drills have long been sensitive on the Korean peninsula because they are closely tied to deterrence planning and readiness between Washington and Seoul. Last week, military leaders from the two countries said Ulchi Freedom Shield would be similar in scale to previous years, with about 18,000 South Korean soldiers taking part. About 28,500 American military personnel are stationed in South Korea, underlining the scale of the alliance presence that could be affected by any cutback.
The announcement also comes after North Korea carried out ballistic missile tests this month, which are banned by the United Nations. South Korea, the United States and Japan also detected a second North Korean missile test in days, adding to regional concern. North Korea's foreign ministry had already condemned the joint drills on Friday as "a rehearsal for an aggressive war", showing how closely the exercises are watched in Pyongyang.
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The issue matters because joint exercises are one of the most visible signs of the US security commitment to South Korea. They are also a recurring source of tension with North Korea, which has accelerated its nuclear and missile programmes since the collapse in 2019 of Kim's high-profile diplomacy with Trump. Trump was the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea when he visited seven years ago, and his latest remarks again place personal diplomacy at the centre of a military and alliance issue.
What remains unclear is whether the reduction will be temporary or longer term, and whether it will apply to all planned drills or only some of them. It is also not known whether Washington and Seoul discussed the move in advance, or how South Korea will respond. Further detail may emerge as the exercises were due to get under way and as both governments assess the implications for readiness and deterrence.
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