Trump instructs Pentagon to reduce military exercises with South Korea
Aug 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had instructed the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea in a social media post that also mentions Seoul's refusal to take part in actions against Iran. Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site that, although it was too late to cancel the exercises entirely, he was "not happy" that the…
US President Donald Trump has instructed the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea. In a post on his Truth Social site, Trump cited his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and expressed his unhappiness that the US had previously agreed to participate in the exercises.
The exercises in question are the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military drills, which are scheduled to run from August 17 to 27, according to Free Malaysia Today. Trump described the exercises as "not only costly... but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea.
Trump also mentioned South Korea's refusal to join the US in actions against Iran, saying he had recently asked the South Korean president if they would like to join the US in the denuclearization of Iran, and they declined, saying "No thanks!", as reported by Free Malaysia Today and Al-Monitor.
Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, Free Malaysia Today, Winnipeg Free Press, BBC World — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
