Trump says US to reduce joint military drills with South Korea after Iran refusal
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
President Donald Trump says the United States will substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, citing cost and hostile signals to Pyongyang. Trump also says Seoul declined to join the US in the 'denuclearisation' of Iran, answering 'No thanks!' when he asked. The announcement came as the allies were due to begin annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills on Monday and after Pyongyang's second banned missile test in days.
Key Facts
- Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday that the US will "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with South Korea, calling them costly and hostile to North Korea.
- Trump said South Korea declined to join the US in the "denuclearisation" of Iran, answering "No thanks!" when he asked.
- The US and South Korea were due to begin the annual 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise on Monday, with about 18,000 South Korean soldiers participating.
- North Korea this month conducted ballistic missile tests banned by the United Nations; South Korea, the US and Japan detected the second test in days.
- US military spokesperson Ryan Donald said "our training accounts for that threat", referring to North Korean soldiers returning from the Ukraine battlefield.
Trump's Announcement
Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday that the United States will "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with South Korea. He called the exercises costly and said they sent a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea. Trump added that the South Korean President had declined to join the US in the "denuclearisation of the Islamic Republic of Iran," answering "No thanks!" when asked. He said it was "too late to cancel" as the allies were due to begin annual exercises on Monday. Trump also cited his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the post.
Ulchi Freedom Shield
US and South Korean military leaders announced Ulchi Freedom Shield at a joint press conference last week. They said the 11-day event would be similar in scale to previous years, with about 18,000 South Korean soldiers participating. Military leaders also mentioned North Korea's deployment of troops to aid Russia's war against Ukraine. US military spokesperson Ryan Donald said "our training accounts for that threat", referring to North Korean soldiers returning from the battlefield. North Korea's foreign ministry on Friday rejected the drills as a threat and said Pyongyang would exercise its right to self-defence.
North Korean Missile Tests
The joint exercises come days after South Korea, the US and Japan detected the second North Korean missile test in days. Pyongyang this month conducted missile tests that are banned by the United Nations. North Korea has accelerated efforts to expand its nuclear and missile programmes since the 2019 collapse of Kim Jong Un's diplomatic engagement with Trump. Trump became the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea when he visited seven years ago.
6 sources
Trump says US to reduce joint military drills with South Korea after Iran refusal
