President Donald Trump instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce planned joint military exercises with South Korea, according to a Truth Social post that multiple outlets including Reuters and ABC News reported on August 16. Trump stated the exercises sent an «inappropriate and hostile» signal to Pyongyang and argued that the United States bears much of the cost. He added that it was too late to cancel the drills entirely but ordered them scaled back significantly. The decision came after Trump said he asked South Korean President Lee Jae-myung whether Seoul would join Washington in efforts to «denuclearize» Iran. According to Trump, as reported by Arab Times and Bloomberg, South Korea responded «No thanks.» A series of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier in 2026 prompted requests for allied support including naval assets in the Strait of Hormuz, a Congressional Research Service background report from 2025 noted had tested alliance commitments across multiple partners. The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises began on August 17 as scheduled despite the directive, Reuters reported. The drills involve about 18,000 South Korean troops and focus on countering drones, disrupting GPS signals and cyberattacks to address North Korea’s evolving threats, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff briefing cited by the Associated Press. A U.S. Forces Korea description of the exercise series placed its goal as strengthening the combined defense posture and alliance response capabilities against a spectrum of security threats. Trump based his decision partly on what he described as a «very good relationship» with Kim Jong Un, stating North Korea had been «unthreatening and respectful» during his time in office, according to the post reproduced by USA Today. The move arrives amid continued concerns over Pyongyang’s missile and military capabilities that a March 2026 Institute for the Study of War update said included condemnation of U.S. actions in Iran as «illegal acts of aggression.» North Korea’s stance has reinforced its pursuit of nuclear capabilities, the update added. Strains in the U.S.-South Korea alliance deepened after Seoul declined the Iran-related requests, a July 2026 Russian International Affairs Council analysis found. The Pentagon redeployed Patriot missiles and THAAD batteries from the peninsula to the Middle East with no certain return date, the analysis stated, echoing patterns from prior conflicts. President Lee has opposed both redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons and domestic nuclear development, citing international pushback risks, according to a December 2025 press conference quoted in the Congressional Research Service document. Trump has previously pressed South Korea to increase payments for hosting roughly 28,500 U.S. troops, a Bloomberg report on the latest decision recalled. The drills form one of two main annual combined exercises alongside springtime training, the Associated Press noted last week. Officials in Seoul described the scale as similar to previous years even as the reduction order circulated.
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