Trump orders Pentagon to "substantially reduce" military exercises with South Korea
President Trump said Sunday that the joint military exercises with South Korea are costly and they "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea.
President Trump announced Sunday that he has ordered the Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, saying that the country recently declined to join the U.S. effort to denuclearize Iran.
Mr. Trump said on his Truth Social platform that the exercises are costly and they "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which has been "unthreatening and respectful" as long as he has been president.
"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," Mr. Trump said.
The president said "it is too late to cancel" the joint military exercises, adding that he ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" them.
Mr. Trump also said that he "recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran," and the country declined.
However, he said his decision to reduce military partnership with South Korea is "somewhat unrelated."