President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he has directed the military to scale back upcoming joint exercises with South Korea, criticizing the operations as overly expensive and unnecessarily provocative toward North Korea.
In a post published Sunday on his Truth Social platform, Trump cited his personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a primary reason for his dissatisfaction with the drills.
“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,” Trump wrote.
Trump characterized the long-standing defense maneuvers as a financial burden on the U.S. and a diplomatic misstep.
“These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), 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,” he stated.
While Trump noted the schedule prevented a full cancellation of the planned operations, he stated that he had ordered Secretary Pete Hegseth to curtail the scope of the mission.
“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!” Trump wrote.
In the same post, Trump also referenced a recent exchange with the South Korean president regarding Middle East policy.
“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!'” Trump added.
The joint military drills between the United States and South Korea have historically served as a core component of the two nations’ mutual defense alliance, while routinely drawing official protests from Pyongyang.
READ: No End In Sight For Iran War As 60-Day Peace Window Expires And Trump Threatens Oman
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