Washington DC [US], August 26 (ANI) US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) ordered a substantial reduction in the annual joint military exercises with South Korea, citing their cost, his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and concerns that the drills send an "inappropriate and hostile" signal to Pyongyang.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said he was unhappy that the United States had previously agreed to participate in the joint exercises with South Korea.
"Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I was not happy with the fact that the United States had, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea," Trump said.
"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 added.
Trump said that since it was too late to cancel the exercises, he instructed US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce them.
"Therefore, and based on the fact that it was too late to cancel, I instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!" Trump said.
Following the order, South Korea and the United States wrapped up their primary theatre-level combined military exercise on August 21, nearly a week ahead of schedule, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, typically an 11-day event involving command-post simulations and live field manoeuvres for contingencies on the Korean Peninsula, was halved to five days.
The rollback has been widely viewed as a conciliatory gesture by Trump towards Kim Jong Un.
Citing an official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Yonhap reported that live drills were also reduced from 14 to seven, with the seven remaining drills scheduled to run through Friday as originally planned. The other seven exercises removed from the lineup will be rescheduled following consultations with Washington.
"The seven drills will proceed as planned and be wrapped up by the 28th, since the duration of each training varies by exercise," the JCS official said.
"As for the adjusted drills, we will work closely together with Washington to devise measures so that they will be carried out in a combat-realistic manner," the official added.
Yonhap reported that counterattack-oriented drills, which are typically held during the second week of UFS, were cancelled following the reduction, leaving this year's exercise focused mainly on defensive operations.
The allies had also discussed whether to hold live drills separately or have South Korea conduct them alone, with some field manoeuvres potentially postponed.
In the Truth Social post, Trump also said he had recently asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung whether South Korea would join the US in the "Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran", but received a negative response.
"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!' Thank you for your attention to this matter," Trump said.
Meanwhile, North Korea has shrugged off the reduction of the drills, stating that it has no interest in the decision and that the move does not change the aggressive nature of the exercise. (ANI)
"Inappropriate and hostile": Trump scales back US-South Korea drills amid ties with North Korea
