Trump curbs drills with South Korea, citing Kim Jong Un ties

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a significant reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the long-standing agreement for the U.S. to participate in these drills, which he described as costly and sending an "entirely inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea. He stated that while it was too late to cancel the exercises entirely, he had instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to "significantly limit" them.

Trump further revealed that he had previously asked South Korean President Lee Jae-myung if he would join the U.S. in the denuclearization process of Iran, but received a refusal. This point was raised in the context of his decision to scale back the military drills with Seoul.

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Given my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un of North Korea, I am not happy that the United States has for a long time agreed to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea. These exercises are not only costly, with a significant portion of these costs being borne by the United States of America (as usual!), but they send a signal that is entirely inappropriate and hostile to the country that, since Donald J. Trump has been president, has not posed a threat and has shown respect.

South Korea's Ministry of Defense, however, has stated that the joint military drills, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield and involving approximately 18,000 soldiers from both countries, are proceeding as planned. Pyongyang consistently condemns these maneuvers as preparations for an invasion. The report also notes that South Korean President Lee Jae-myung recently proposed dialogue with Pyongyang to end the state of war that has formally persisted for over 70 years since the Korean War armistice. North Korea has consistently rejected these proposals and maintains its nuclear status is "irreversible." Previous negotiations initiated by Trump following his 2019 summit with Kim Jong Un in Hanoi ended in failure due to disagreements over denuclearization and sanctions relief.

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For this reason, and given that it is already too late to cancel them, I have instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to significantly limit the joint military exercises!