US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce annual joint military exercises with South Korea, arguing that the drills are costly and send an unnecessarily hostile message to North Korea.
Trump said that the decision was influenced by South Korea’s refusal to assist the United States in its campaign against Iran, as well as what he described as a more restrained relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He said he had recently asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung whether Seoul would join Washington in the “denuclearization” of Iran, but claimed the South Korean government declined.
The exercises, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, involve about 18,000 South Korean troops and are scheduled to continue for 11 days. They are designed to strengthen the two allies’ ability to respond to potential threats from North Korea.
Trump said that the drills were no longer appropriate given his assessment of the current relationship with Pyongyang. He noted that the exercises, which began today, are not only costly “but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea. He added that North Korea “has been unthreatening and respectful” during his time in office.
“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!”
Donald Trump
South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirmed that Ulchi Freedom Shield began as scheduled despite Trump’s announcement.
The exercises are among the two major annual combined military drills conducted by the United States and South Korea, alongside training held during the spring.
The US military has described the exercises as an important component of alliance readiness, saying they reinforce “the role of the alliance as the linchpin for regional peace and security.”
The military has also said the drills demonstrate the “ironclad commitment between the United States and the Republic of Korea to defend their homelands.”
This year’s exercises were expected to include training for complex military scenarios, including a live-fire exercise designed to test joint precision targeting and manoeuvring. Other activities include a wet-gap crossing and the distribution of prepositioned military equipment.
Trump’s order therefore represents a significant change in the administration’s approach to one of the central elements of US-South Korean defence cooperation.
In May, Hegseth praised Seoul for increasing its defence spending and taking greater responsibility for the security of the Korean Peninsula. “It demonstrates alliance burden-sharing that all of America’s partners would do well to follow,” Hegseth said during a meeting at the Pentagon.
The decision also comes as North Korea has resumed ballistic missile testing. Earlier this month, South Korea, the United States and Japan detected two ballistic missiles launched by North Korea, marking Pyongyang’s first reported ballistic weapons tests since late June. The missiles landed in waters off North Korea’s eastern coast.
Pyongyang has continued to expand its nuclear and missile capabilities since diplomatic efforts between Trump and Kim broke down in 2019. North Korea has also repeatedly condemned US-South Korean military exercises, describing them as preparations for an attack.
Last Friday, North Korea warned that the latest drills amounted to a “rehearsal for an aggressive war” and said they were contributing to increased instability in the region.
Such warnings have become routine ahead of major joint exercises between Washington and Seoul, with Pyongyang frequently portraying the drills as evidence of hostile US policy.
Trump’s Decision Criticised
The announcement has drawn criticism from Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot.
Kelly argued that reducing the exercises could weaken the readiness of American and South Korean forces. “Hollowing out these joint exercises is shortsighted and a mistake,” Kelly said in a social media post shortly after Trump announced the decision.
For South Korea, the drills remain an important part of preparations for potential conflict with North Korea. For Washington, they have historically served both as a demonstration of alliance solidarity and as a means of maintaining the operational readiness of troops stationed on the peninsula.
Trump’s decision to reduce the exercises could therefore have implications beyond the current training cycle, particularly as North Korea continues developing its nuclear and missile programmes and the US administration reassesses its wider military priorities.
For now, the exercises will proceed, but at a reduced scale if Trump’s order is implemented. The decision leaves questions over how Washington intends to balance its efforts to improve relations with Pyongyang with its longstanding defence commitments to Seoul.
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