President Donald Trump said Sunday he has instructed War Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” upcoming joint military exercises with South Korea, saying the drills are costly and send an unnecessarily hostile signal to North Korea. Trump announced the move in a Truth Social post on the eve of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which is scheduled to begin Monday and run for 11 days. About 18,000 South Korean troops are expected to participate in this year’s drills, which U.S. and South Korean officials describe as defensive in nature.
“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. Trump said the exercises are costly, with much of the expense borne by the United States, and argued they send an “inappropriate and hostile” message to North Korea. “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.
