Trump directs the Pentagon to reduce cooperative drills with South Korea.
Trump's remarks came after he claimed that South Korea had refused to assist in denuclearizing Iran, despite the fact that U.S. and South Korean military were scheduled to practice joint operations.
On Sunday, August 16, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump gave the Pentagon instructions to reduce scheduled joint military drills with South Korea after claiming that South Korea had refused to assist in the denuclearization of Iran.
In a social media post, Mr. Trump claimed that the exercises, which are scheduled to start this week, are expensive and "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he said "has been unthreatening and respectful" during his presidency.
"Therefore, I have instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to significantly reduce the Joint Military Exercises because it is too late to cancel," Mr. Trump wrote.
The 18,000 South Korean soldiers participating in the 11-day drills were intended to increase preparedness against North Korean threats.
According to the U.S. military, South Korean and U.S. soldiers were expected to practice joint operations in complicated situations, such as a wet gap crossing, a live-fire exercise to test cooperative precision targeting and maneuver, and the distribution of prepositioned military materiel.
Mr. Trump said that the two leaders get along well "despite the unfriendly look in this particular picture" when he shared a picture of himself standing next to Kim Jong Un of North Korea the day before.
The U.S.-South Korean training has been described by North Korea's Foreign Ministry as "a rehearsal for an aggressive war," which is causing the region to become even more unstable.
During his first term, Mr. Trump met with the reclusive North Korean leader three times to discuss the nation's nuclear program; the most recent meeting took place in 2019. Trump has shown interest in carrying on those conversations since taking office again.
Mr. Trump has already attempted to halt the exercises. He also unexpectedly said during his first term that the wargames were "provocative."
Following his 2018 meeting with Kim Jong Un in Singapore, Mr. Trump told reporters, "We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should."
In a social media post, Mr. Trump claimed that the exercises, which are scheduled to start this week, are expensive and "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he said "has been unthreatening and respectful" during his presidency.
"Therefore, I have instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to significantly reduce the Joint Military Exercises because it is too late to cancel," Mr. Trump wrote.
The 18,000 South Korean soldiers participating in the 11-day drills were intended to increase preparedness against North Korean threats.
According to the U.S. military, South Korean and U.S. soldiers were expected to practice joint operations in complicated situations, such as a wet gap crossing, a live-fire exercise to test cooperative precision targeting and maneuver, and the distribution of prepositioned military materiel.
Mr. Trump said that the two leaders get along well "despite the unfriendly look in this particular picture" when he shared a picture of himself standing next to Kim Jong Un of North Korea the day before.
The U.S.-South Korean training has been described by North Korea's Foreign Ministry as "a rehearsal for an aggressive war," which is causing the region to become even more unstable.
During his first term, Mr. Trump met with the reclusive North Korean leader three times to discuss the nation's nuclear program; the most recent meeting took place in 2019. Trump has shown interest in carrying on those conversations since taking office again.
Mr. Trump has already attempted to halt the exercises. He also unexpectedly said during his first term that the wargames were "provocative."
Following his 2018 meeting with Kim Jong Un in Singapore, Mr. Trump told reporters, "We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should."
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