US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he had instructed the Pentagon to substantially reduce American participation in joint military exercises with South Korea, citing the cost of the drills, his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and South Korea's rejection of a US request to participate in efforts to denuclearize Iran. The announcement was made in a post on Trump's Truth Social platform.
Trump orders Pentagon to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea
US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he had instructed the Pentagon to substantially reduce American participation in joint military exercises with South Korea, citing the cost of the drills, his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and South Korea's rejection of a US request to participate in efforts to denuclearize Iran. The announcement was made in a post on Trump's Truth Social platform.
In his Truth Social post, Trump wrote that the exercises are 'not only costly... but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful,' referring to North Korea. He also cited his 'very good relationship' with Kim Jong Un.
Trump acknowledged he was 'not happy' that the United States had previously agreed to participate in the exercises, though he noted it was too late to cancel them entirely, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The exercises in question are the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military drills, which according to the Jerusalem Post are scheduled to run from August 17 to 27.
Trump's post also referenced South Korea's response to a US request on Iran. He wrote: 'While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, "No thanks!"'
According to The Atlantic, the US is currently engaged in a conflict with Iran that began last winter, and Trump's announcement came after a period described by that outlet as involving a series of setbacks in that conflict, including a reported security incident that required the president to depart the region on a backup aircraft due to an alleged assassination threat from Tehran.
The Atlantic notes that approximately 28,500 American troops are currently stationed in South Korea, some positioned close to the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas.
The Atlantic characterizes Trump's decision as driven by frustration over the Iran conflict and anger at South Korea's refusal to assist, framing the scaling back of military exercises as a form of retaliation against an ally rather than a strategic reassessment.
- South Korea's government has not been quoted or reported as having issued an official response to Trump's announcement in either source.
- The specific nature of the 'substantial reduction' in US participation has not been defined or quantified in either source.
- The identity of the South Korean president Trump says he asked about Iran is not specified.
- Independent military or strategic assessments of the impact of reducing participation in the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises are not provided.
- The current status or scope of the US conflict with Iran, beyond characterizations offered by The Atlantic, is not independently detailed in either source.
- North Korea's response or position on the announcement is not included in either source.
- Congressional reaction to Trump's decision is not reported in either source, beyond The Atlantic's general commentary.
- The Atlantic — original — by Tom Nichols
- The Jerusalem Post — by REUTERS
Read the original at The Atlantic