Trump calls South Korea drills 'inappropriate,' orders them scaled back

Former U.S. President Donald Trump declared that annual military drills with South Korea, designed to prepare for a potential North Korean attack, were "inappropriate and hostile." He ordered a substantial reduction in the exercises hours before they were set to begin on Monday.

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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 expressed his dissatisfaction on his Truth Social platform, citing his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He argued that the joint military exercises are costly, with the U.S. bearing much of the expense, and send an "inappropriate and hostile" signal to a country he characterized as "unthreatening and respectful" during his presidency.

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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.

Despite his objections, Trump noted it was too late to cancel the drills entirely, instructing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" them. The "Ulchi Freedom Shield" exercise is an 11-day annual fixture for South Korea's armed forces and their U.S. allies, aimed at bolstering their defense against the nuclear-armed North.

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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!'

South Korea's defense ministry confirmed the drills had commenced and would proceed as scheduled. However, Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University, told AFP that Pyongyang would likely only consider the drills meaningful if they were canceled entirely, not merely scaled back, and doubted an immediate reaction from Kim Jong Un.

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The North will only view it as meaningful if the joint exercises are cancelled in their entirety rather than scaled back. It has little reason to see this as meaningful.