Trump directs Hegseth to reduce U.S. joint exercises in South Korea
The Hill · C · trust 65/100
Comments: by Mallory Wilson - 08/16/26 5:55 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Mallory Wilson - 08/16/26 5:55 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING President Trump said Sunday he told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” the joint military exercises with South Korea.
Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that he’s “not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate” in these joint military exercises.
He also noted that South Korea declined to aid the U.S. in denuclearizing Iran and that he has a “very good relationship” with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
“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!’” the president wrote.
The joint exercises are annual large-scale defense drills that occur in spring and summer to help strengthen the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea and the readiness to fight against regional threats.
“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,” he wrote.
Trump said that it’s too late to cancel the exercises so they will instead be scaled back.
The exercises, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, are scheduled to run from Aug. 17 to 27.
North Korea last week threatened actions against the U.S. and South Korea ahead of the drills and called them “a rehearsal for an aggressive war,” the Associated Press reported .
A statement carried by state media said the drills would be of a “more serious provocative nature and dangerousness than last year,” according to the outlet.
The exercises were supposed to entail a live-fire exercise, a wet gap crossing, and distribution of prepositioned military equipment.
On Saturday Trump posted a photo of him and Kim Jong Un.
“Despite the unfriendly look on this particular picture, there are many where we’re smiling, Kim Jong Un and I get along GREAT!” the president wrote on Truth Social.
He has not met with Kim at all during his second term, but the two leaders met three times during his first term.
Trump previously made a comment that he wanted to suspend the military exercises in 2018 while at a summit with Kim in Singapore.
“We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should,” he said at the time.
North Korea reportedly fired ballistic missiles last week, which are being viewed as a protest to the upcoming joint military exercises.
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