US President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to significantly scale back joint military exercises with South Korea. In a Sunday social media post, he also referenced Seoul’s decision to decline participation in actions against Iran.
Just hours before the exercises were set to commence, Trump expressed on his Truth Social platform that, although canceling them altogether was no longer possible, he was unhappy with the previous US commitment to participate. The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills are scheduled from August 17 to 27, involving around 18,000 South Korean military personnel. These exercises are expected to include operations targeting drones, disrupting GPS signals, and countering cyberattacks to address North Korea’s advancing capabilities.
Trump highlighted his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his post. He argued that the exercises are costly and send an “inappropriate and hostile” message to a nation that, according to him, has been non-threatening and respectful during his presidency. Additionally, he mentioned South Korea’s stance on the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. When asked if Seoul would join in the effort to denuclearize Iran, they reportedly declined, saying, “No thanks.”
The White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for further details on Trump’s directive to reduce the military drills. North Korea routinely condemns the joint exercises as preparations for invasion. Last week, North Korea launched a ballistic missile from its eastern coast into the Sea of Japan, six days after a similar short-range missile test on August 6.
U.S. military officials observe that North Korean forces, which have fought alongside Russia in Ukraine, have gained experience in modern warfare tactics including unmanned systems, electronic warfare, and cyber operations. Ukraine announced last week that North Korean-made missiles were used in a Russian missile strike targeting a steel plant in Zaporizhzhia, resulting in seven deaths and halting production, with Russia also deploying Zircon hypersonic missiles in the attack.