Trump Orders Pentagon to Slash Joint Military Exercises With South Korea, Citing Kim Ties
President Donald Trump said Sunday he has directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises with South Korea, which were set to begin Monday and run for more than 10 days. In a Truth Social post, Trump cited his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and called the drills costly and unnecessarily provocative toward the North.
Trump also tied the decision to South Korea's refusal to join the United States in pressing for the "denuclearization" of Iran, writing that he had asked Seoul to participate and been told "No thanks." South Korean officials responded that the exercises would proceed "as scheduled," signaling a gap between Washington's stated intentions and Seoul's plans on the ground.
The move echoes Trump's first term, when he met Kim three times, in Singapore in 2018, Hanoi in 2019, and at the Korean Demilitarized Zone, and similarly scaled back joint drills afterward. North Korea has long criticized the exercises as rehearsals for invasion, while the drills have historically been framed by US and South Korean officials as essential readiness training for the alliance.
Arguments for:
The exercises are expensive, and Trump has argued the US shoulders most of the cost even though the drills primarily concern the Korean peninsula.
Trump contends that scaling back a drill Pyongyang views as hostile could open space for renewed diplomacy with Kim, building on his history of direct engagement with the North Korean leader.
Supporters see it as consistent with an America First approach that questions the value of underwriting large-scale exercises for allies who don't reciprocate on other priorities, like Iran.
Arguments against:
Republican Rep. Don Bacon warned the move risks alliance damage, saying "it takes a while to repair the unnecessary damage he creates with allies."
Bacon also argued the drills themselves matter militarily, saying "training exercises also sharpen our warriors. We both lose when we don't train."
Analysts note North Korea's deepening ties with Moscow and Beijing have already increased Kim's leverage, and critics worry reduced US-South Korea coordination could embolden Pyongyang further.
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Was Trump right to order a reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea? Yes 
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Sources:
#SouthKorea #Trump #NorthKorea #ForeignPolicy #MilitaryExercises
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