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US President Donald Trump has ordered Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" upcoming joint military exercises with South Korea, criticizing the drills as costly and sending a "hostile" signal to North Korea.
The move came after Trump revealed, in a social media post on Sunday (US local time) that South Korea declined a recent request from Washington DC to assist in efforts regarding the denuclearization of Iran. His remarks came ahead of the summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise between Seoul and Washington was set to begin Monday in South Korea, Yonhap news agency reported In response, South Korea's presidential office in Seoul stated on Monday, as cited by the official media, that the government is closely monitoring President Trump's social media announcement and expressed hope for "meaningful dialogue" between the two nations regarding alliance issues and regional security. Taking to his social media platform, Truth Social, President Trump stated that while it was "too late to cancel" the 11-day joint drills, he instructed the Pentagon chief to significantly scale down the military exercise. "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 wrote, adding that North Korea has been "unthreatening and respectful" during his tenure in office. He further noted that the exercises are expensive and "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to Pyongyang. Addressing relations with Seoul, President Trump disclosed that he had recently asked the South Korean President whether the country would join the US in the denuclearization of Iran, to which Seoul declined. Although Trump characterized the decision to curb the military drills as "somewhat unrelated," the directive highlights growing friction between Washington and its East Asian ally. Meanwhile, the presidential office in Seoul said, "The government takes note of President Trump's social media message," "We expect friendly relations between the North Korean and U.S. leaders to lead to meaningful North Korea-U.S. talks and the start of discussions aimed at advancing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Cheong Wa Dae said, pledging to play a role as a "pacemaker" to that end. The 11-day combined military exercises, involving approximately 18,000 South Korean troops along with US forces, were planned to enhance operational readiness against North Korean threats through complex scenarios, including live-fire exercises and joint precision targeting. North Korea had previously issued warnings against the joint drills, describing them as a "rehearsal for an aggressive war" and threatening stern self-defense measures. President Trump's decision aligns with his long-held skepticism toward large-scale military drills on the Korean Peninsula, having previously halted major exercises following his 2018 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. (ANI)
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