Trump orders joint military exercises with South Korea to be scaled back

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon on Sunday to scale back planned joint military exercises with South Korea, saying it declined to help denuclearize Iran and citing his good relationship with North Korea's Kim Jong-un.

Trump said in a social media post that the exercises slated to begin this week are not only costly but "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he said "has been unthreatening and respectful" during his time in the White House.

"Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!" Trump wrote. The president added that he recently asked South Korea's president to join the U.S. in its efforts to denuclearize Iran, "and they said, 'No thanks!"'

This is not the first time that Trump has sought to end the exercises. During his first term, he also issued a surprise announcement that called the war games "provocative."

South Korea's Defence Ministry confirmed that the exercises began on Monday as planned.

South Korea's presidential Blue ​House said it was reviewing Trump's post and "hopes that the friendly relationship between the U.S. and North Korean leaders will lead to meaningful dialog between the two countries, opening discussions aimed at advancing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."

The allies would continue co-ordinating on their combined defence posture and military exercises, it said.

Responding to Trump's claim that ​President Lee Jae Myung had refused to join U.S. efforts to denuclearize Iran, it said Seoul was discussing potential military contributions, while considering its defence readiness on the Korean ⁠Peninsula and domestic legal procedures.

The move is the latest example of the U.S. president appearing to side against an ally in favour of a leader that previous administrations have cast as an adversary. Trump and others in his administration have also railed against NATO allies over perceived lack of support for his war against Iran, even as they seek to confront an increasingly aggressive Russia in the Baltic region.

In May, Hegseth praised South Korea for its "commitment to increase defence spending" and its "leadership in assuming primary responsibility for the security of the Korean Peninsula" during a meeting at the Pentagon.

"It demonstrates alliance burden-sharing that all of America's partners would do well to follow," Hegseth added.

'Linchpin for regional peace and security'

The 11 days of exercises involving 18,000 South Korean soldiers were designed to beef up readiness against North Korean threats.

The U.S. military has said the summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises reinforce "the role of the alliance as the linchpin for regional peace and security" and reaffirm "the ironclad commitment between the United States and the Republic of Korea to defend their homelands."

U.S. and South Korean forces were expected to practise joint operations in complex scenarios, including a live-fire exercise to test joint precision targeting and manoeuvre, a wet gap crossing and distribution of prepositioned military equipment, according to the U.S. military.

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The joint training is set to start days after North Korea resumed ballistic missile testing activities that are banned by the United Nations.

Trump's decision was sharply criticized by Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a former navy pilot, who said that "hollowing out these joint exercises is shortsighted and a mistake" in a social media post made just hours after the president's own post.

Earlier this month, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan detected the launch of a short-range ballistic missile from North Korea in what was the North's first ballistic weapons testing activity since late June. The missile landed in the waters off North Korea's east coast.

North Korea threatens strong response

North Korea has been pushing hard to enlarge its nuclear and missile arsenals since Kim's high-stakes diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019. Experts say Kim likely believes a bigger weapons arsenal would increase his chances for wresting more concessions from the U.S. in future negotiations.

North Korea on Friday threatened unspecified stern steps against the U.S. and South Korea, describing their military drills as a "a rehearsal for an aggressive war" that are triggering greater instability in the region.

The warning was typical of the harsh rhetoric that North Korea often deploys ahead of major U.S.-South Korean military exercises. Experts say North Korea has often used its rivals' drills as a pretext to ramp up testing activities to expand its weapons arsenals and promote public support for the reclusive North Korean leader.

Trump met with the North Korean leader three times during his first term to discuss the country's nuclear program, most recently in 2019. Since returning to office, Trump has expressed interest in continuing those discussions.

The U.S. president's announcement came a day after he posted a photo of himself standing next to North Korea's Kim, writing that the two leaders get along great "despite the unfriendly look on this particular picture."